Rebirth
by Angel's babe
Summary: This deals with the last of the season 5 major deaths and sets up his role in my idea of a possible storyline for season 6. Spoilers: season 5.
1. Rebirth: Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If I owned 24, Tony would still be alive.

Spoilers: Season #5

Summary: My take on Tony's death, and a possible storyline for season #6. It starts off when he woke up in CTU medical

Author's notes:

1. I was annoyed at the way the wrote Tony's death, and this is how I deal with it.

2. "" Dialogue, '' thoughts

3. Italics are used in flashbacks

4. C.O.S. Change of Scenery

5.This chapter is only a re-imagining of what happened in that episode in order to set up what will happen. Also; Some pieces of dialogue are from the actual episode.

6.8888, means I've just changed points of view, and am with a different character.

Title: Rebirth

He stared at the ceiling, and instantly knew where he was; a building he had every intention of never again setting foot in, a building that gave him his life; and in one single horrific moment that morning, a building that took it away: CTU. With every breath he took, he hated it more- he had given it 10 years of his life, including some of his best, and some of his worst. It was less than 2 years ago, that he and Michelle had agreed to leave it behind them and chart a new course together. They'd started a business, and had children; twins a boy and a girl. His heart broke with the knowledge that they might be motherless now, and likely fatherless too; for if she was dead a piece of him had died with her. His ears perked up, as a nurse entered the room:

"Oh good, you're awake, the doctor will be glad to hear about that." She remarked, as she busied herself checking her vitals, and then left the room. He cleared his throat:

"I need to know about my wife, Michelle Dessler, is she here?" His voice was hoarse.

"The doctor will be into examine you." The nurse answered, and walked out the door. 'I'd forgotten that everybody in this building had a certificate in stonewalling' Tony wryly thought to himself.

His kids; now there was some small thing to be happy about. His aunt had taken them home with her to Florida, so they hadn't been around that morning. He remembered when Michelle had told him she was pregnant; marveled when at one of their first ultrasounds they heard two heartbeats. Then at the end, after nearly a day of labour, she presented him with two beautiful babies; one a boy named: Jonathan Edward Almedia- Jack for short, and a second; a girl named: Kylla Elaine Almedia. Tony couldn't stop grinning for months afterwards; his admiration and love for Michelle grew with every passing day. Tony heard the door open again; it was the doctor:

"Good to see you've awakened Mr. Almedia; your vitals are strong, you should be able to go home in a few days."

"What about Michelle?" He asked, wondering if there was a slight chance that she had survived, but was taken to a hospital closer to their house. The question hung in the air unanswered, as the doctor waffled between telling him, and not.

"Is she…" Tony didn't want to even finish the question, he didn't want to face the answer. Finally the doctor gulped, and spoke in a voice full of compassion:

"She didn't make it sir."

Tony looked away from the doctor, careful to show no emotion; and the doctor finished his exam in silence then left the room. Tony couldn't believe it: his worst nightmare had come true.

* * *

Audrey met Jack at the entrance to CTU:

"Edgar's on tracing Bierko's cell phone, and trying to track the canisters. Chloe's searching the databases for the suspects you encountered at the mall; she's got that nearly finished. Kim's arrived, and she's waiting for you upstairs in the conference room. She doesn't know about you yet…" Audrey left off, and studied him for a moment. He had stopped moving, and was staring up at the conference room, and one glance confirmed Kim's presence. Jack shrugged once to bring himself back to reality.

"Sounds good, is there anything else?" Jack asked, eager to get this conversation with his daughter over with.

"They're setting up an interrogation room for Henderson. Johnson will be in on it." Jack nodded, and continued to stare up at the room. Audrey intuitively picked up on the issue:

"She'll be shocked and angry if you just walk in like this. But she'll also be happy; she gets a second chance with you." She attempted to comfort him with a smile. Jack looked at her with a question in his eyes.

"It might be best if I told her, that way it could cushion the blow." She voiced what he was thinking. Jack was relieved and mouthed a thank you, while wondering how it was he was so lucky to have found her. Jack walked over to Chloe's workstation drawing curious gazes as he walked-, which he duly ignored.

For her part, Audrey made her way up the stairs towards the conference room, where Kim sat waiting.

* * *

Kimberly Bauer paced angrily around the room. She had gotten the call at work this afternoon, to come to a building she despised, to meet with a woman she knew only as the daughter of the Secretary of Defense. She couldn't even begin to guess; accept that it might have something to do with her father's death. At first, she firmly decided not to come; the building held more heartache, and sadness for her than she wanted to remember, then as the afternoon wore on, curiosity got the better of her; a quality she cursed her father for having passed to her so she came bringing with her, her psychologist Barry of all people for support.

So here she was waiting for Audrey, and ignoring Barry's attempts at calming her down by asking her to go through the various breathing exercises. She stopped her pacing and sat in a chair, as in her last circuit of the room she noticed a female figure climbing up the stairs, and enter the room.

"I'm Audrey Raines, I was a friend of your father." Audrey put her hand out to shake the young woman's hand.

"Kimberly Bauer. This is my psychologist Barry Williamson." Kim indicated Barry sitting in the room. Audrey looked at him, and grew suspicious, making a mental note to look him up later. She also silently commended Kim for seeking help after her time at CTU; she needed it, after so much heartache. And now, with the shock she's about to get.

"I need to speak to you about him. In private." Audrey looked pointedly in Barry's direction, who made eye contact with Kim.

"You can say something about him in front of Barry- he won't tell anyone." Kim responded.

"Doctor-Patient confidentiality." Barry muttered and was quiet. Audrey glanced between the two and suspected there was more to it than that.

"It is about your father; Kim, there's no easy way to say this- he's alive."

"How? Why? He can't be, he isn't." Kim rambled.

She vividly remembered the sick feeling, as Tony showed up at her door, remembered just sinking into a chair, numbly, as he told her about his death- that he'd been buried already. She remembered, how the tears finally came when he gave her the dog tags; she had put them on a chain around her neck, and reached up and fingered them now out of comfort. She couldn't believe, that just as she had righted her life; it was being turned upside down again. There was a heavy silence in the room.

Audrey spoke in a controlled manner:

"I can't imagine what you must be going through right now, and I won't pretend to. I just ask that you do one thing; hear him out. Listen to his reasons why, and keep in mind that he loves you."

Kim stared sightlessly straight ahead of her, saying nothing. She blinked, as the door opened and Jack walked in, and looked pointedly at Barry. Audrey brushed past Jack on her way out and whispered: he's a psychologist; I'll look into his background. Jack nodded imperceptibly, and turned towards his daughter.

"This place has taken everyone I have ever loved. My mother was killed here, my father destroyed by this place; and eventually so was my relationship. This place broke me, I never wanted to see it again; I never wanted to think of the people here. I got wondering this afternoon what Audrey wanted to say to me; what could she say to bring him back, and I came up with nothing. I get here, and she tells me the one thing I knew to be in my wildest dreams: you're alive. Then, all the hate for this place, all the sadness, and disappointment that I worked so hard to forget, came back to me." Kim's voice intensified as she finished.

Jack stood rooted to the spot, unable to move, mentally recoiling under his daughter's fury. He was silent as he carefully chose his words, turning his glance on Barry:

"Could you give us a minute, I'd like to speak to my daughter alone." Barry didn't move, and turned to Kim for guidance that looked hopeful that he would stay,

"Please, I'd like a minute alone, and for that to happen; you need to leave the room." Jack explained his look getting more menacing. Barry sat back, and waited. Jack looked at his daughter pleadingly,

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of him; he's a trained professional." Kim said. Jack gave Barry a look of disgust.

"Doctor-patient confidentiality, I swear none of it will leave this room." Barry affirmed.

"I'm not your patient, and I don't trust you; so I am giving you two choices. One you leave now of your own accord, and can wait downstairs while I have this talk with my daughter, or two: I can with a word to the staff have you taken into custody for trespassing, then proceed to make your life a living hell." Jack said, his frustration showing in his tone. Barry, in response got up and left of his own accord.

Kim had begun pacing again, and ended up at the window looking down on the back corridor of CTU. Jack stepped further into the room, and tried to touch Kim, who recoiled. She turned back around to face him. She sat down again on one side of the table; he took the other.

"There were people after me, that wouldn't stop until I was dead, they would use everyone that ever meant anything to me in my life; you, Audrey, Tony, Secretary Heller. I didn't know who they were, so the only way to stay safe- the only way to keep you safe was if I disappeared for a while. Too all accept four people I was dead. I couldn't have any contact with anyone from CTU, or anyone in my old life. I thought of you everyday, I nearly called you more than once." Jack started explaining.

"Chase left me. He took Angela back to her mother's, and then took a field job with the New York office. I couldn't take another person in my life being swallowed up in this. I didn't give up much of a fight, and once he left I had nobody. For the longest time, I was depressed; my life was a mess, so I started seeing a psychologist, and gradually have rebuilt my life." Kim replied. Jack reached for her hand, as Kim pulled it off the table, and stared straight ahead.

"I can't do this right now. I don't even want to be here; I thought… I don't even know what I thought was going to happen, all I know is I can't do this." Kim was uncertain. Jack heard the door open behind him, and twisted to see Audrey re-enter and stand behind him. He stood up, and the emergency alarm began to sound.

"I was just coming to get you- our systems are all showing a foreign substance in the air ducts."

Jack rose, and Kim followed walking slightly behind the pair.

"Where are the safe areas?" Jack asked Audrey

"Safe areas are the briefing room, Bill's office, a room in CTU medical, and a holding room."

"Give 15 minutes for evacuation, and begin sealing off those areas; anyone downstairs is in the briefing room, anyone upstairs, in Bill's office. Move Henderson into the quarantine in CTU medical with Tony." Jack gave his orders.

"Tony's asking to speak with you." Audrey added.

"Tell him, I'll be into see him after we stop this latest threat." Jack answered, and moved briskly stopping in the middle of the room:

"Listen up everybody; the air inside CTU has been compromised. I need all non-essential staff to exit the building quickly. "

"Jack we only have 10 minutes." Chloe mentioned to her friend.

"All essential staff, I need in the briefing room." Jack instructed.

* * *

C.O.S.: CTU Medical

"Mr. Almedia, we need to move you. Can you walk?" the nurse asked him.

Tony thought about for a moment, and then responded by gingerly sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He stood up and pulled his intravenous pole towards him, then waited.

"Were you able to get a message through to Agent Bauer?" Tony asked anxiously.

"No. Go to your right- it's the second door." Tony moved slowly to respond, the nurse walking beside him. She heaved the door open, and he entered making himself comfortable. The nurse moved past him to stand at the head of a stretcher and checked the vitals of the person laying on it.

"Heartbeat's good, blood-pressure's stable." The nurse confirmed. A third figure leaned over the stretcher:

"Who are working for?" He was greeted with silence. The door opened and the doctor entered, and re-checked the vitals.

"Another dose is pushing it."

"He's not responding to my questions." Johnson responded. Tony pushed himself to his feet to get a better look at the figure on the stretcher.

"He won't respond; He's trained not to." Tony spoke up, recognizing the man immediately.

"You know who…" Johnson began; Tony cut him off:

"Christopher Henderson." Tony allowed the anger to seethe through his system. He's the man that took my life from me; he doesn't deserve to get off so easily; Michelle was in pain before she died, and he deserves to suffer for that,' he thought to himself.

"I need to speak with Agent Bauer." Tony insisted.

* * *

C.O.S.: Briefing Room

"Give him five more minutes Jack." Chloe urged her friend. Jack looked, and saw the worry etched in her features. Edgar Styles, her fellow technician had gone to check on a malfunctioning server, and hadn't reappeared yet.

"Chloe I can't, the room has already been sealed." Jack said.

"Jack?" The phone on the table sparked to life. Jack moved to the table and spoke:

"We've been hit." Bill stated.

"We believe that one of Bierko's men was able to get in, and plant a canister of the cintox nerve gas on the premises. We're getting a signature from it off the ventilation system." Jack explained.

"Yeah, I'm reading that there are four safe areas: my office, the briefing room, a room inside CTU medical, and a holding room. The signal I'm getting is from the utility room, near the air conditioning vent." Bill replied.

"That would make sense. In order to be sure, I'd like to see the blueprints of the building, and detailed schematics of the heating and ventilation systems."

"I'll right, I'll send them to your screen; let me know when you have something." Bill said, and hung up the phone.

8888888888

For the first time since Chloe had started her job, her mind was only partly on the tasks in front of her. She knew they needed her; she was the only one in the room with the expertise, and knowledge on CTU's computer system. But, only part of her mind was here; the other part was silently willing Edgar to walk in the door; or hoping with all her might, he was some place safe. She blinked, as she saw a movement lumbering towards the room. She knew in an instant, it was Edgar.

"He's senior staff, we should let him in." Chloe said, moving towards the door. Jack moved to intercept her:

"If he's out there, he's infected. Letting him in here, would put us at risk." Jack told her. Audrey had moved and drew some of the blinds. Chloe looked past Jack, transfixed by the sight of Edgar, who had suddenly stopped in his tracks, and fell.

"No, no. We should've let him in; we should've taken that risk." Chloe said, her voice breaking. She didn't speak for another five minutes.

Barry glanced at Jack:

"I'm going to try and talk to her. You said yourself; you need her focused on the task at hand. I'll help her to do that." Jack's look was cold as he noted his daughter's hand on the doctor's back, and considered his response:

"Go for it."

Barry walked over to where Chloe was seated, and bent down, taking her hands in his:

"My name's Barry, I'm a psychologist. I know it's rough, having seen what you have; but you have a job to do, people relying on you. Under normal circumstances, I'd schedule a session with you you'd come to my office; but these aren't normal circumstances. So to calm down, I just need you to breathe. Take deep breath in…. now out. In and out," Barry explained. Chloe blinked herself out of the trance:

"This 'breathing' crap doesn't help very much. All it does is force you to do something you already do instinctively- it's completely unnecessary. If you want to do something to help me, get out of my way and let me do my job." Chloe told him. Barry straightened up; taken aback by Chloe's bluntness; and moved back to the corner near Kim.

The phone beeped again, and Jack answered pressing one button.

"Jack I think I may have a possible solution for you. Lynn McGill, and a security guard are trapped in the holding room. Now according to schematics, that is the closest point to the utility room…"

"We have to ask him to physically go in there, deactivate the gas, then back to the room. They'll both be infected." Jack instantly took in the ramifications, and instantly knew there was no way around them.

"Is he willing to do this?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, he says that as it was his key card that the terrorist used to enter CTU, he feels responsible." Bill answered.

"Dumbass" Chloe muttered.

"What was that Chloe?" Bill asked.

"She said we'll ask once, we've got a plan; just to make sure." Jack neatly covered for his friend.

"Good idea. Let me know, when you have the plan in place." Bill chuckled, and hung up.

* * *

C.O.S.: CTU Medical

"He won't tell you anything. He's trained on how to use his system in order to counteract the drugs. He'll just wait us out." Tony kept his voice low, and tone cold.

Johnson was resigned: "What he's protecting, can't be worth dying for right?"

Tony responded with bitter laughter, and was silent. He considered the man on the stretcher, and how easy it would be to end it right there. All he would need to do is pick up a pillow and he would fulfill his need for vengeance, sate this overwhelming anger. But he knew full well it wouldn't bring his Michelle back; it wouldn't give their children a mother back. The phone beeped, and Tony picked it up.

"Almedia." He answered.

"Tony…" Jack's voice called out his friend's name in surprise.

"Yeah Jack." His voice was heavy.

"The threat's past, we're starting to re-open CTU." Jack informed him, Tony put his hand over the receiver; and repeated the information to the doctor, and he put the receiver back to his ear.

Jack recognized his tone immediately, he knew the inner war being waged within Tony right now; he knew how it would likely end with Christopher Henderson's death.

"Don't do it Tony; it isn't worth it." Jack simply told his friend.

"It isn't worth it to get justice, it isn't worth it to get revenge; to feel satisfied? Wasn't it all worth it for you? Didn't you feel just a little bit satisfied when you shot Nina three times?"

"Yes. But it doesn't last; and when it goes away you're left with a new guilt; of doing the last thing she would have wanted you to." Jack spoke from experience. Tony gulped:

"You're right. I need to talk to you Jack."

"I'll be right down." They hung up the phone. Tony walked back over to Henderson, a new determination filling him. The doctor read his vitals:

"He's somehow used the drug to push himself into a comatose state; there's no telling when he'll wake up from it." Tony took the needle from the stand where Johnson was sitting, and flicked the syringe to make sure it's full. He turned back to Henderson:

"You don't get to die without answering my question; what secret is worth killing my wife to keep it safe?" Tony held the needle close to his neck. Henderson reached up and began struggling, eventually grabbing the needle away and managing to jab Tony with it. The doctor sprang into action, to be knocked out by Henderson himself, who ran out the door, and down the hall leaving a trail of security guards in his wake. Jack arrived to chaos, and seeing his friend didn't notice Henderson had escaped. He checked for a pulse on Tony, and found a weak one; so he began doing CPR, and eventually revived him. Tony looked up at his friend, and allowed Jack to help back to the chair where he sat and caught his breath. Jack advised Bill that a lockdown would be the best bet to catch a missing prisoner, and then focused his attention on Tony.

"I was going to kill him Jack. I had every intention of killing him, but in the end… I just couldn't bring myself to do it." He said, his voice full of fatigue. Jack was unsure of how to continue.

"I know, this is going to sound empty; but I truly am sorry about Michelle. She was, one of a kind." Jack said.

"Our kids- my twins are beautiful Jack. A little boy, we called Jonathan Edward- she insisted on it, so we could nickname him Jack. And Kylla is as captivating as her mother. She's got golden-brown curls, small ears- dainty like Michelle. It was incredible, holding those babies in my arms the first time I…" Tony smiled, then quickly sobered, as a thought suddenly occurred to him:

"It isn't safe for me here right now. Henderson is going to try to kill me again; and honestly Jack- I don't know if I could perform a job properly now anyway. I think it best if I disappeared for a while."

Jack was stunned; Tony was never the cut-and-run type. He always stayed and fought whatever battles needed fighting. It was something Jack admired about his friend. But there was some truth to what he said, and it showed clear thinking that Tony would think of it much less say it.

"You'll need fake ID, passport- work documents, drivers license, and enough money to support the three of you. It might take Chloe; a couple hours." Jack supported his idea.

"I don't want Chloe in on this one. I only want you to know. And I'll be traveling alone. I'll do the ID, and all the information; I just need to get into the network, which shouldn't be a problem since I still have level 6 access to it. I should have it done in about a half hour or so." Jack glanced sideways at his friend, and read the resolution in his eyes; there would be no going back for Tony. But still, Jack felt compelled to share some of the lessons he'd learned:

"Your life will be one of lies and deceit. You can never be yourself; even when you meet someone; and as hard as this is to believe, it will happen. You will always be looking over your shoulder wondering whom you can trust and whom you can't. It will become the greatest regret of your life that were never there to watch your kids grow up; never there to hold them when they cried- bandage their scrapes, or something as simple as sing them to sleep or teach them to ride a bike."

Tony took a deep breath with a tear in his eye. He knew what leaving his kids meant; knew what heartache that would be for him- knowing that they would be alive; and he would be alive- but they could never meet.

"My kids are at my aunt's house in Florida, she'll take care of them; that's one of the plans Michelle and I made, if either of us ever…" Tony replied.

"I'll see you in a half-hour." Jack made the effort to keep his voice resolute. He drew the blinds against the hallway, then opened the door and left. Jack turned to the security guard:

"This room is to be treated as a crime scene. Nobody is to go in, or leave until I get back."

Tony made his way over to the desk along one side of the room, and sat down on the computer. He quickly went over his plan to disappear as he called up the documents, and made them out. He convinced himself with the mantra: 'it will keep the kids safe and it will keep me safe. I have to do it; for them.' He repeated it over, and over until he actually did start believing it. He pressed print, then careful to leave no trace, logged out of the network. The easy part was done, and now comes the hard part. Jack returned to his friend and asked:

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

Tony nodded.

"Alright; lay down. I have a syringe full of sedative; enough to make your heart slow down, but not stop beating, and a second syringe full of adrenaline to wake you up." Jack explained, as Tony lay down in the bag, and Jack quickly jabbed him with the first needle.

He saw his friend's eyes close, and waited for his breath to slow before zipping up the bag. Jack picked the body bag up and heaved the door open; and did a quick check to make sure the hallway was clear, proceeded towards the Emergency exit at the end of it. Finding the non-descript navy blue car, he opened the back seat and placed Tony inside, opening the zipper, halfway and jabbing him with the second needle. He got into the driver's seat, reached over and placed the faked identification documents in the glove compartment, then drove off the lot. By the time Jack was halfway to the station; Tony had sat up, and taken the bag off. Jack parked the car in a deserted section of the lot, and sat for a moment looking through his rearview mirror at his friend. Tony opened the door after a few moments and got out, and stopped beside Jack's window:

"I'm lost without her Jack. I think- no I know I need to just be lost for a while." Tony told him, his voice betraying his sadness. Jack reached over and got out the packet with his cash, ID, and a cell-phone.

"The cell is encrypted, and has two numbers programmed into it;my cell phone number,and Audrey's cell phone number. If you needed to get a hold of us for any reason don't hesitate to call." Jack informed his friend. Tony nodded.

"Keep track of my kids Jack. They'd like to meet you." Tony told his friend, smiling at how many stories he and Michelle had to them of their Uncle Jack. Tony started walking towards the train station

"Take care Tony." Jack called out. Tony continued walking away, afraid that if he stopped he would lose all of his willpower and wouldn't be able to leave. Jack re-started the car, and drove back to CTU; already back to normal; he had a threat to stop.

* * *

Thus ends the first chapter of this one. I do have the next chapter maybe two planned out; to take place between seasons; and will probably be a little shorter. Whether I post them or not, depends on the reviews. (Yes I know that's evil of me). So please review…

Thanks for reading,

-A.B.


	2. Rebirth: Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own 24, I just play with the characters for a while when the folks at Fox, aren't using them. I do however own the plot, and the occasional player you don't recognize.

Summary: See Chapter #1

Author's notes: 1. "" Dialogue, '' thoughts

2. C.O.S: Change of Scenery

3. 888 is used when I switch points-of-view.

4. Italics is used for a phone conversation, Bold print is used for flashbacks

5.Sarah is not meant to resemble any other character in the 24-fic universe; I have read one story where there is a Sarah, and she's a waitress.

Warning: There is swearing in the chapter below.

Spoilers: Season #5

Reviews: Oh, yes please.

Rebirth: Chapter #2

Marine Sgt. Blaine Phillips entered the guardhouse, to begin his regular shift as overnight commander of the guard at the American Embassy in Shanghai. This assignment had been extremely uneventful since he'd started a month before, with nothing but the occasional Chinese dissident attempting to claim asylum on its grounds. He put his feet up on the desk and flipped through the binder of faces- some of them were suspected terrorists, while others were missing American tourists- that too hadn't changed since before he'd gotten there. He stopped at one page, one photo with a bio below that caught his eye; Jack Bauer the intelligence agent responsible for bringing down President. Logan 6 months prior- the bust had made the headlines worldwide, making him famous as the agent that brought down the most powerful man in the world. Adding to the fame, was the fact that he was kidnapped the next morning- and hadn't been seen or heard from since. A priority flag was put on the file, which meant that if the man was found it was to be reported straight to Vice President Heller. He heard the sound of bushes rustling by the entrance, and put the binder down, and left to check the spot. It was nothing, but he made his way across to the soldier standing on the other side of the gate to confirm, which the soldier did.

"I'm going to make a visual check of the others, use your hand-held radio to inform me of any changes." Sgt. Phillips ordered, the soldier responded with the customary: Yes sir, and a crisp salute.

Sgt. Phillips made his way around the other groups patrolling the grounds, and all reported in clear. As he neared the final group at the eastern point of the compound, his radio crackled to life, and he stepped away from the group.

"Sgt. You'd better come take a look at this." The soldier told him; the urgency in his tone was enough to make Phillips take off at a fast job back to the front of the compound.

88888

In the months since his capture, and imprisonment in a Chinese prison Jack Bauer had been brought to the brink of death countless times. It began with daily questionings, and when he wouldn't tell them anything they would beat him, then throw him back in his cell. When they finally realized if they continued it would result in his death, they switched and started attacking him weekly giving him some time to heal in between. He was quite unprepared when, just earlier that evening his scheduled questioning was taking place, and an unfamiliar officer stepped in, and ordered that he be released. They threw him back out onto the streets, where for the last several hours he wandered aimlessly in what he thought was the general direction of the American Embassy. Finally achieving his goal of making it there his next idea was to hide somewhere near the grounds, and enter the next day to speak with the ambassador. Unfortunately, his injuries forced him to re-consider, and make himself known before then; and that's what he was attempting to do when the marine stepped out of the shadows his gun pointed directly at Jack and shouted:

"Get down on your knees and put your hands on your head!" Jack fell forward onto his knees, not having the strength to resist, even if he wanted to. The marine pulling the strap over one shoulder, and making the customary check to make sure there were no hidden weapons. Jack winced as the marine touched a sore rib, and sucked in his breath.

"What's your name?" The marine asked Jack as he finished the check.

"Bauer… CTU." Jack replied his breath coming in gasps. The marine stepped away, leaving Jack alone and he could hear him speak into a handset. He made out, a man jogging towards him, and just as he neared, Jack collapsed. The last thing he recalled before passing out, was the man standing over him:

"Welcome back to America Agent Bauer." Sgt. Phillips greeted him. Phillips turned to the marine and requested that he locate the doctor, and medical staff required. He left the medical team to do their jobs, and went into the building housing the military offices, to locate a phone with a secure line.

* * *

C.O.S.: Washington

James Heller leaned back in his chair and yawned. He'd been trying to curtail his late nights, to only two a week, but so far it hadn't worked; and this was his third late one this week. He sighed; this was the last task of the day- he had to read through the list of potential commendations, and choose 5 of the most deserving candidates from each. The names were listed in order by department, beginning with the intelligence services. Names listed under CTU included Bill Buchanan, Chole O'Brian and Jack Bauer. All three were to be awarded commendation medals for their work pertaining to the Logan case; Jack's awarded posthumously to be accepted by his daughter Kim.

Heller had given Jack up for dead a month after he had disappeared; there'd been no sign of him, no demand for ransom, no clue as to who the kidnappers were. It was a cold case, and had to be given up for one. He had, as a favour to Audrey, circulated a photo to all embassies, treating him as a missing tourist with one difference: he'd flagged his file, and let it be known to embassy officials, that if he is seen, Heller was to be contacted. Bauer had saved his, and Audrey's lives; it was the least he could do. He chose several more names, and then set it aside in his briefcase for the night. He rose from the chair and grabbed his coat from the coat rack, he had his hand on the door handle when the phone rang; he pressed the speaker:

"Heller." The White House switchboard operator's voice came on:

"Mr. Vice President, we have a call on the line from an embassy security official in Shanghai; a Marine Sergeant Blaine Phillips. He says he has knowledge regarding, a missing Intelligence officer."

"Put him through." Heller ordered, as he picked up the handset and sunk back into his desk chair.

"Good evening Mr. Vice President," 

"Good evening Sgt. Phillips. I'm told you have some information for me." Heller got to the point.

"Yes sir, I do. Agent Jack Bauer has been found; he came into our embassy tonight. He is alive, but appears to have extensive injuries, which, we believe have come from regular beatings."

"What kind of injuries?"

"_At least two broken ribs, a bruised left orbital bone, numerous cuts and bruises, a twisted ankle and a possible concussion. On top of all of his injuries, he also suffers from malnutrition."_

"How long until he can be moved?" Heller asked.

"_The medical staff here, tell me a week at the very least." _Heller considered the last answer for a moment, before deciding how to proceed.

"Keep him there for the week, and I'll arrange for military transport to bring him back stateside."

"Yes Sir, Mr. Vice President. Is there any message you would like me to give to Agent Bauer?"

"Yes, have him call me when he's able to. And let him know that Audrey misses him," Heller replied.

"Yes Sir, will do."

"Have a good evening Sgt."

"Thank you sir, you as well Mr. Vice President." Heller heard the phone click, and hung up his end. 'Jack Bauer; you S.O.B.; you've managed to cheat death yet again.' He thought, as he smiled to himself.

* * *

C.O.S.: New York

Audrey Raines critically surveyed herself in the mirror. She'd finished applying her makeup, but noticed that she was unable to hide the dark circles under her eyes any longer. She wondered why she even bothered anymore; it's not like she had anyone to look nice for. She bothered because, to show people the circles, would be to show weakness; and as a political operative, and the daughter of the Vice President- she had an image to maintain, and if she showed weakness, that image would shatter. The circles showed were the only physical sign of the fatigue she felt inside which, had been growing ever since that day.

She remembered all of it like it was yesterday. The emotional day, beginning with Jack walking back into CTU alive, and ending with the takedown of a President. The abject fear that she thought she lost both him, and her dad- indeed; she could have lost Jack many times over- but somehow he always came through it. She remembered thinking that it was fate bringing him through it all alive, that they were meant to be together. Most clearly, she remembered the next morning, after the dust had settled. It was a sunny morning, as she waited outside a warehouse. She vividly recalled how happy she was; she could see the man of her dreams, longed to be alone with him.

"**I can't believe you're really here, you're back." Audrey exclaimed, the happiness evident in her voice. She'd touched his face; they were close to kissing only to be interrupted by a police officer:**

"**Agent Bauer, there's a phone call for you from your daughter. You can take it in the warehouse." Jack hopped off the back of the ambulance, and walked into the warehouse. **

She remembered what happened afterwards; she'd waited nervously for him for an hour, before going in to check on him. What she found shook her to her core; there was no sign he'd ever been there, no sign anybody had ever been there. She frantically left the building and requested the police do a perimeter check; but they found nothing. She'd then called CTU, and alerted them. Buchanan gave her whatever support she needed. She searched everywhere, questioned everyone who'd been in contact with him at the warehouse, but they all reported seeing nothing.

She was angry that out of all the people coming and going from that site, and nobody saw anything; she became discouraged. When a month rolled by, she realized that if she did find something; it would most likely be a dead body- and she didn't know if she could deal with that yet. So she left; there were too many memories of him there, too many emotions.

She took some time off, to refresh herself, and knew that she needed to get past him, if only for the sake of her sanity. So she took the job as Chief-of –staff for the Ambassador to the United Nations. That had been five months ago; and although she'd been busy adjusting to her new job, her new location, memories of him still haunted her. Nightly, she'd been accosted by dreams of that morning, and self-doubt; if only she'd gone in sooner she might have seen something- might have stopped whatever was going on, even though she knew that there was also the possibility that she'd have gone missing too. In one dream she had gone in to check on him, and found him lying dead on the floor. It was that one that made her afraid to go to sleep at night, her fear being that if she went to sleep, she might wake up to the real news that Jack Bauer was dead.

And so the months went by, and she held onto the sliver of hope that he was still alive- and the circles under her eyes continued to deepen. She sighed; the makeup job would have to do, she was going to be late for work if she stayed any longer.

8888

Chloe O'Brian glanced around her bedroom. 'Phew' she thought, no sign of the night before. Even as she thought it, she heard soft humming, and smelled the coffee brewing in the kitchen. She silently cursed herself; she'd done it again- fallen for his charm, and quick wit. He'd caught her while she was weakest; at the end of the day, she'd just lost a good friend, and two colleagues to terrorist attacks and he'd come upon her sitting at her desk, crying. She cursed herself again for showing weakness in the workplace; he asked her if she wanted to get breakfast, and talk about it. She responded that she would, and thus began her relationship with her ex-husband, Morris O'Brian.

He'd been really sweet to her, the friendly shoulder to cry on in the days and weeks that followed. And when it slowly dawned on her, that her job at CTU wasn't what she wanted anymore; he was the one that encouraged her to begin looking for another job. When Audrey called, with a job offer for her as the advisor on cyber-terrorism to the Ambassador to the U.N. she accepted, because she still wanted to help people, and she liked Audrey. After accepting the post, she moved immediately to New York and set up her apartment. She quickly settled into her new job, and apartment forgetting about Morris. One day the previous week, she came home from work, to find him sitting on the front steps of the apartment building.

"**Go away Morris, I don't want you here." Chloe stated. Surprisingly, he did as she told him, and went away. The same routine, had been repeating itself daily for the last week. **

Finally, the previous night she asked him what he wanted from her; he replied nothing, just her.

"**It wouldn't work between us- it didn't work between us; you cheated on me." She replied. **

"**I know, and I was wrong to do that, and I'm sorry." Morris apologized.**

"**You still flirt." She insisted.**

"**I know, I always will, it's part of my charm really. But, I will never mean any of it anymore" He declared. Chloe took a deep breath; she still wasn't giving up the fight:**

"**Our marriage was a mistake, you cheated on me. I packed up my stuff, and moved out of the apartment. Most guys would take that as pretty good indication that they weren't wanted anymore. Nearly 2 years later, Jack suggested, I call you in to help us out on the Logan operation so I had to work with you. You were a friend to me, after he went missing, and Edgar died; and I needed it. But it would…" Morris cut her off mid-sentence with a kiss. Chloe was completely lost in what happened next, remembering only snippets; falling onto the bed, in a frenzy of kissing, and at some point coming up for air.**

Chloe cursed herself a second time, as she prepared for work, wishing that he'd be gone by the time she got out to the kitchen. Of course he wasn't, she got out there, and found a single red rose, and a place completely set with a plateful of scrambled eggs, and a glass of orange juice. She nearly smiled despite herself.

"Did you have a good sleep sweetheart?" He asked.

She cringed inwardly, he never caught onto the fact she hated the little endearments he called her. She grit her teeth and smiled:

"Yes thank you. Now can you please leave?"

His attempt to answer was interrupted by the phone ringing; Chloe reached past him and grabbed the hand-held set and left the room.

"Yeah, they probably couldn't do it without me, but I was just doing my job; I'm not looking for any glory." Chloe said, in a matter-of-fact way.

"CTU couldn't you're right about that. That's why we want to reward you for your distinguished service." Heller answered

"Well, if you insist Mr. Vice President." Chloe nonchalantly responded.

"I do insist." Heller confirmed.

"I'll see you Saturday then."Chloe replied.

"Yeah, bye Chloe."

"Good-bye Mr. Vice President." Chloe pressed end and went out into the kitchen.

* * *

C.O.S.: Vancouver

Sarah Vincent glanced at the single man sitting at the corner of the bar, then up at the clock, 35 minutes until closing. Every night this week, his routine was the same; he'd come in around 8, and stay right until closing at 2 am. Sometimes, he'd order a drink or two; other times he'd just sit there and watch the crowds around him. She often looked at him, and wondered what he did, who he was, if he had a girlfriend or a wife. He never said anything to her- never told her his name, where he was from, what brought him to the city. He kept his face expressionless, but every once and a while, if Sarah was careful, when she'd look over at him, there'd be a look of longing, or sadness in his eyes.

"Last call," she stated. The statement caused a second man, sitting at a table to rise, and pay his bill then leave. The other man looked at his watch, and realizing he had a half hour left, stayed seated. She grabbed a tray and headed to a dishwasher the other side of the bar, filling it up with clean glasses and began to put them back up on the shelves.

"Penny for your thoughts." Sarah prompted the man as she worked. She let the statement hang, and continued; grabbing more dirty dishes to take around and loaded the dishwasher. She grabbed a damp cloth, and made her way back to the side where the lone customer waited:

"It's a little chilly out tonight, hope you grabbed a sweater." He commented. She smiled wryly:

"I did. I don't live far from here, just a five minute walk."

"My name's Jason Almont, I work down at the docks." He responded. She continued smiling; this was the most he'd said to her all week.

"Sarah Vincent, and I am a bartender… which, is painfully obvious," she replied to his introduction in kind. It caused him to smile; he had a nice smile, she thought to herself. She continued to clean, and he was silent.

"How long have you worked here?" He asked to make conversation.

"About two years." She answered.

"You must hear some crazy stories." He continued.

She chuckled: "You have no idea." She stood on tiptoes to reach the racks above the bar; noticing her trouble reaching, he rose from his stool and came behind the bar.

"I'll do it." He said, and she stepped aside and let him.

"Thanks. It's the only part of the job I have trouble with." He chuckled in response. She grabbed a broom, to do all that was left to do of the cleaning; sweep.

"What kinds of stories do you hear?" He kept the conversation alive.

"Adultery, divorce, relationship troubles, work-related problems. If it effects someone else in a negative way, I've heard it."

Sarah moved over and began counting the cash, and he was quiet again. She looked up at the sound of footsteps, as Andrew peeked around the corner, he took a look at Jason and remarked:

"We're closed."

"It's alright Drew, we were just talking, and he was helping me close up."

"Alright, Sarah, take care walking home, it's chilly, and there are some interesting people out there." Drew responded.

"I always am, but thanks anyway." She replied, and he left, with a look at Jason.

"He's not happy about my being here." Jason stated.

"Yeah, it's just the whole; you're a customer in a bar after last call. But he trusts me, and I'm a pretty decent judge of character, and you seem like a good guy. So he lives with occasional straggler." She explained. He nodded at her assessment. They were silent, as she finished counting the till, and putting a deposit in the safe below the bar. She grabbed her coat smiling:

"Now, comes the best time of the evening; home-time." They were quiet as Sarah grabbed her bag, and led the way towards the exit. The pair stood for a moment, as Sarah burrowed deeper into her coat.

"I'd better start walking before I really start to feel the chill."

"Do you mind if I walk with you?" Jason tentatively asked her.

"Yeah, okay." Her smile reappeared. It would be nice to have someone with her for company.

8888888

As he walked beside Sarah, Tony considered the events of the past few months. He'd adopted his new identity as Jason, a day labourer, and gradually moved northwards, working a week here, two there. He'd managed to keep to himself mostly; never staying one place long enough to make any friends, never really wanting any. The fact was; Michelle, and their children, had never left his thoughts- they were the first thing he thought of everyday, and the last thing every night. His separation from his children, continued to break his heart; but it couldn't be helped, there was still a threat out there, albeit a reduced one since Logan was in jail. Henderson, however, was still at large.

He'd decided on Vancouver as his final stop, because it was enough like home that he wouldn't be very homesick, and far enough away that he wouldn't be recognized; that was four months ago. He'd begun going to Sarah's bar the beginning of the week, mostly so that he'd have somewhere to go; the constant moving around had caught up with him. He knew he needed company, but also knew he had to be careful, what he told people; in this way, he had struck a happy medium- going to a bar where there were people, and yet not get close enough to them to mean anything. If he just observed; he thought to himself, then he wouldn't have to feel much.

"I cut up this alley; my building's just over there." Sarah informed him, pointing to a building with patterned lights. He stopped beside her.

"Thanks for the company." She told him.

"Don't mention it." He responded. He watched and briefly noted the lighting through the passageway as she made her way through it. He'd turned around and had begun walking the other way when he heard:

"Give me back my damn purse you asshole."

Tony turned and ran into the alley, to find Sarah fighting off one of two assailants. The second stood off to the side, and was combing through the contents of the purse; counting the money, making sure there were credit cards. The second assailant turned around in time to see Tony coming towards him, used the purse as a weapon, slugging him in the face with it. He cringed in pain, and the distraction was enough for the second assailant to run back out the alleyway the same way Tony had been walking when he heard Sarah scream. He ran after him, catching up with him after only a few feet. In the struggle that followed, he was quickly able to get the upper hand on the guy, and pinned him up against a brick wall of an adjacent building:

"Give me the purse." He growled. The assailant squirmed, and Tony applied more pressure to his neck; he dropped it and ran. Tony barely had time to move, when the second assailant ran past him. He picked up the purse and made his way back towards where Sarah was, collapsed on the pavement against the wall, breathless. She looked up at him,

"Wow, is that going to be some shiner when the swelling goes down." She commented.

"You're quite the little fighter," He replied.

"Thank you, my boss makes us take the occasional self-defense class. He always says that you never know when it'll come in handy," she explained. He handed her the purse, and they began walking towards the building.

"Are you pressing charges?" He asked.

"No, I don't think so. What will I say; that two men dressed completely in black tried to rob me on my home from work. I didn't get a good enough description, so without an eyewitness they'll have nothing to go on. Besides, they'll be likely to press charges against us for assault." She replied.

"I can't be involved in something like this." Tony said, keeping his tone neutral. She immediately noticed his facial expression become shuttered, a complete 180 from just moments before. She looked up as they reached her destination,

"Well this is me," She said, and rummaged around in her purse for her keys. Finding them, she turned to Tony:

"Would you like to come in; I can get you some ice to help reduce the swelling in your eye." He gave her a small smile,

"No, I think I'd better get going home." He backed out.

"I insist. It's the least I can do for my knight in shinning armor." She returned, chuckling a little. She turned and unlocked the door, and when she turned back to get him to follow her, he was gone. She shook her head; a mystery to figure out- and there was nothing she liked more than a mystery.

Tony examined his eye under his bathroom light; it certainly was going to be a shiner; he touched it; it was painful, but he'd been through worse- he'd been shot in the neck, and managed to go back to work after all. He made his way to the kitchen and wrapping some ice in a towel, sunk down in his easy chair. He flicked on the TV and watched what appeared to be a very old Canucks-Oilers game. He didn't remember when, but after sometime, he fell asleep, and his last thoughts as always were of his Michelle.

* * *

Questions? Comments?

Witty one-liners?

Please review. When you review I write faster.

Thanks for reading

-A.B.


	3. Rebirth: Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the gloriousness that is 24; it belongs to Fox, real-time productions, Joel Surnow, John Cassar, and various others. I do own the plot, and one original character.

Summary: See Chapter #1

Author's notes:

1. "" Dialogue, '' thoughts

2. C.O.S.: Change of Scenery

3. 888, is used to signify a change in points of view

4. Italics is used for a phone conversation, bold print is used in flashbacks

Spoilers: Season #5

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Rebirth: Chapter #3

She was around her father's colleagues, and friends; but she never felt so alone. All of them, had at some point during the afternoon come up to her, and told her how sorry they were for her loss, and she knew they were trying to comfort her, but still the words rang hollow. Few of these people existed in anything but a name to her; and the ones that did: Chloe O'Brian, Bill Buchanan, and Audrey Raines she knew only casually, or from chance encounters at CTU. She was truly alone now, her only family a barely seen aunt in Santa Barbra.

Kim wondered again why she was there; she kept reminding herself that it was because of the guilt. True, she shouldn't feel guilty- she didn't know that the day at CTU was again, the last time she saw him. But if she would have known, she would not have allowed her anger and shock to get in the way; she would have tried harder to remember that she was getting this miraculous second chance with him to mend the relationship- instead all she did was make it worse. She walked away from CTU and never said good-bye to him.

A voice startled Kim from her reverie:

"It's all kind of empty isn't it?" She turned around to identify the source of it: Audrey Raines.

"Excuse me?" Kim said.

"All these people, saying those empty sentiments: "I'm sorry for your loss," or: 'He was a good man'; they try and be comforting, but it doesn't quite work." Kim smiled sadly in response, and the pair was quiet.

Audrey moved closer and placed a hand on Kim's arm, and spoke again:

"He told me all about you, you know. You were his greatest joy, and he was so proud of you- proud of the strong, independent woman you have become. You were the one person he couldn't stand to disappoint, the one person he couldn't stand to alienate."

"I wish…" Kim started to state the same wish she'd been wishing since she found out about her father's disappearance.

Audrey cut her off:

"You didn't know. Nobody knew that would happen, and it's fruitless to blame yourself."

"So don't blame yourself either." Kim replied. Audrey opened her mouth to reply, but quickly closed it again, shocked at the astuteness of this young woman.

"Nice to see somebody agrees with me." Heller stepped between the two women:

"Mr. Vice President," Kim greeted him.

"Call me Jim. You're dad is an American hero, you should be very proud of him." Heller replied. He leaned toward the two women, and whispered:

"I want you two to meet me in my office later for a drink." He moved off to speak with some others, and left the two women alone.

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C.O.S: Heller's office-

Audrey sank into the cushions of the sofa in her dad's office, and allowed herself a brief moment to let her guard down. She had no idea what her father had to tell her, only that because he'd asked Kim Bauer to join them, it must be about Jack. She prepared herself for the possibility that he was dead, that even now, as she sat in the empty office there was a plane with his body on board winging its way over the Pacific to L.A. and this was her dad's way of gently informing them both.

She still loved him, and didn't want to give up on him. But as the months past, she knew the odds were narrowing that he'd be found alive- that was just the way life was sometimes as an intelligence agent. She gulped back the threatening tears, and took a few calming breaths. She forced herself to rationalize it, told herself that she would get through it; she had to get through it; put him behind her if she was ever to function. She glanced at the clock on the wall, which read 4:30, and idly wondered how much longer until her dad returned. She was instantly startled by the sound of the door opening, and reflexively she stood expecting her father, but finding it to be Kim Bauer.

Kim walked in, and without a word to Audrey sat in the leather chair facing the same way as the sofa. The silence that followed gave Audrey a good chance to examine the young woman. Upon first glance, her profile was proud, and determined; her facial expression carefully shuttered. It wasn't until the second glance, that Audrey had the chance to catch the eyes that were red from crying, as well as the tracks left by the tears on her face. Audrey sensed a vulnerability that wasn't hidden by the shuttered expression, but was nonetheless there, just below the surface. She felt bad for her; knowing the way things were left that day after the nerve gas attack, and never suspecting that those were likely the last things she'd ever say to him.

"Tell me about you and my dad." Kim stated. She didn't know where the impulse came from, but suddenly she wanted to know about the relationship between Audrey and her father.

"Your father and I were close. We had a connection unlike I ever had with anyone else, including my husband. He once told me, that he was afraid to love again after what happened to your mom- he couldn't stand to love someone as much as he loved her, only to have it taken away from him again. We saw each other for 18 months- from the time he started working at DOD, to the day he disappeared. That day was actually when he first told me he loved me. When he disappeared I was devastated." Audrey paused to take a deep breath; she was still puzzled by the sudden interest.

"Then that day came, and he came back. I was angry at him for not contacting me, but after I got over the initial shock that he wasn't dead, and I understood his actions, that I realized that what I was given was a second chance- and I wanted nothing more than a second chance with him. We were ready to try again with our relationship when he was kidnapped." Audrey finished her story, and the room was silent again.

Kim sighed:

"That was the one thing I never gave him. I never seemed to be able to give him the second chance. After my mom died, all I thought about was that it happened in CTU, because of CTU. I thought that because my dad worked there, he was simply guilty by association. I wanted nothing more to do with it, so I pushed him away, and being the patient guy that he is, he never bothered pushing back. I isolated myself when we needed each other the most that was the beginning.

He brought me in to work at CTU, thinking it was the only way to keep me safe; and it worked for a while- our relationship was starting to find its way again. Then, he came back from the Salazar operation addicted to cocaine- a habit he never told anyone about; one that Chloe found out about when she went into his office, and found the needles. I remember reacting with total disbelief when she told me; I kept thinking that my dad wasn't the type to do it- he wouldn't do cocaine; become something that he hated. I confronted him, and willed him to deny it- but he didn't.

From then on, when we kept in touch it became impersonal. I think it was that I knew that to get personal meant working on our relationship; and I wasn't ready for it. I never realized what a mistake I made, until my boyfriend left me, and within a week I was told of the death of my father. I was depressed, and I was alone; for a while, I was a complete mess. Finally, one of my friends at work forced me to see Barry, the psychologist- he was never anything more than that."

She paused for a deep breath, and made her way across to cabinet that held a tray with a pitcher of water and a clear glass. She poured, and carefully considered her next words. As Audrey watched her; she could sense the vulnerability rising to the surface, and that all of this had been building inside of Kim for sometime, so she kept silent, waiting for Kim to continue in her own time. Kim crossed the room back to her chair, and took a few sips of water, placing a half empty glass on the end table beside the chair. She started to speak again:

"I was angry at my dad that day. I was angry with him, for abandoning me when I needed him- again. I was hurt, that he never bothered to attempt to keep in touch with me, to tell me that his death was hoax- a part of some operation. I didn't even consider how heart breaking it was for him; he had to leave his life, his friends, you, me, Tony, your dad; his job at CTU- that's why I reacted the way I did.

It took me sometime to realize that I was wrong to react that way, that I was selfish, and childish to react that way. I told him I couldn't be around him, because everyone around him, everything around him died. I didn't realize until it was too late, that I needed him around me, and I wanted him around me."

Kim let the last words of her confession fade into silence. Audrey was unsure how to reply, so she let the silence lengthen until finally the door opened, and her dad came through it. Both women stood on ceremony, Kim self-consciously brushing the front of her black suit jacket. Heller motioned them both to be seated, while he himself took a seat on the other side of the desk. He turned and looked at directly at Kim, and began to speak:

"As you know, after working to bring down Logan, your father went missing 6 months ago. I called off the search after a month, as I figured that he was either in Chinese custody; in which case they would never give him up; or dead. What the two of you both don't know, is I passed his photo out to all of our embassies, and I red-flagged it. In case, he did show up alive, I was to be immediately notified." Jim paused as he made eye contact with both women, noticing that Kim took a drink of water as if to steel herself. Audrey, he noted pointedly looked away afraid to face the truth. He took a breath and started the rest of his story:

"As I was leaving my office three nights ago, I received a call from our embassy in Shanghai- a Sergeant Blaine Phillips; head of the night shift guarding it. He reported to me that your dad, managed to stagger onto the grounds at the embassy. He suffered injuries consistent with those of someone that had, had daily beatings for quite sometime; cuts, bruises, a couple of broken ribs, and a concussion, he suffered from malnutrition. Phillips told me, he ordered that Bauer be taken right away into the embassy's infirmary."

Heller was silent, allowing the impact of his story to take hold, and waited as both women gathered their thoughts in silence; Kim staring off into the distance, and Audrey looked at him disbelievingly, with tears in her eyes. Her carefully arranged façade of calmness crumbled around her. She had held out for this, for so long, living her life nearly in a trance-like state- always waiting, never living. And now all she felt was relief at the fact that all her hope wasn't in vain, and joy that they'll finally get the second chance.

Kim was the first to speak, turning her shuttered gaze on Heller:

"Whe-When will he be coming home?" The stammer was the only sign of her shock.

"I have managed to get military transport for the day after tomorrow. It will bring him here, to Washington. And then, he'll need to be debriefed; a process that I expect will only last a day, two at the most. You're welcome to stay, and after that process is complete accompany him back to- where is it you're living now?"

"New York, I live, and am working in graphic design for one of the ad agencies." Kim supplied.

"New York then. " Heller shot a knowing glance at Audrey.

"As the two of you were the closest people to Jack, I wanted you to know first before it got out in the intelligence community." Heller explained. Kim rose from her seat and weakly smiled:

"Thank you Mr. Vice President. I should probably go back to my hotel." She hastily left the room.

"That girl is as hard to read as her father." Heller casually remarked.

"She's built up defenses over the years, but underneath the surface there's the same vulnerability that Jack is… very good at hiding." Audrey agreed. Heller considered Audrey with an expression of concern:

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. I will be, once he's home." Audrey paused

"I still love him Dad. Despite all that has happened between us, I still love him." She admitted. Heller crossed to where Audrey was sitting, and gathered her into a hug.

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C.O.S: American Embassy- Shanghai

Kim was always on his mind; she was what kept him going through all those beatings; through the endless days of his imprisonment. It wasn't the thought of her, the way she was that day at CTU; glaring at him with barely masked contempt, the anger, and disgust barely disguised in her voice. When he thought of her, it was of little girl he took to the beach, the one that he helped with her homework. He thought of the teenager who would drive him, and Teri wild with her attitude, and keep them on their toes with her antics; sneaking out to parties, dating guys she knew very well earn the disapproval of her parents.

In hindsight, he realized when his wife died, was when his relationship with her started to go horribly wrong. She blamed him, for Teri's death, just as he did; he _still_ blamed himself for that- it's something that never went away. The problem for him, was that he could see her thought process- she saw CTU as the reason for her mother's death, and wanted nothing more to do with it- and that included him for a while- so she pushed him away, and hoping that all she needed was space; he stayed away.

He remembered how on the heels of the nuclear bomb, their relationship grew stronger as she came to work with him at CTU. They quickly grew apart again, during the Salazar op when he was caught with cocaine. He remembered the shock, and horror on her face, as he didn't deny her accusation. He still don't know why he even started using it- all he recalled was feelings of oppressive loneliness, and guilt at losing Teri. He just remembered wishing one night for a way to escape from it all, to make himself feel good again- and that was what it represented to him. He was found out, of course- first by Chase- his partner, and lately Kim's ex-boyfriend; and then by the chain of command. He was forced to quit his job-, which ended up not being such a bad thing, because that was how he met Audrey.

Audrey- there was the second person that could make him smile. She was the other person that kept him going; he kept thinking about what it felt like being her arms, her smell; the sound of her voice, her laugh. He kept thinking of the way she looked at him, always with love, and compassion in her eyes. The last time he saw her, was etched on his memory; they had just taken down Logan- he was sitting his legs hanging over the side of the ambulance. He looked up, as he heard her call his name, watching as she ran from her car- her face wreathed in smiles. He vividly recalled the feel of her skin; creamy smooth, remembered her hands on his face, as if she were memorizing the contours of it. He remembered exactly what Audrey said:

"**I can't believe you're really here, you're back." **

He recalled leaning into kiss her, and then being interrupted by a waiting officer. He was lured into the warehouse by the promise of a conversation with Kim. The last time he saw her, was a casual glance behind him, as he entered; she radiantly smiled at him, tears running down her face.

"Agent Bauer?" hearing his name called, he looked up.

"There's a phone call for you, if you're able to take it. It's from Vice-President Heller."

"Yeah, I'll take it." Jack answered. Anticipating the need to leave, he carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"It's okay sir; we took the liberty of having an encrypted phone put in this room. At the orders of Sergeant Phillips, you are to be given every luxury." The nurse left the room, and returned with a phone set, and plugged it in:

"120 bit encryption, with only two channels. Heller's on line #1." They left the room, and Jack picked up the handset pressing the button for line one:

"Good Evening Mr. Vice President." He greeted his old friend, still getting used to the new title.

"_Call me Jim- Always call me Jim, Jack. How are you?" _Heller responded.

"I'm doing alright sir, thank you. A few bumps, and bruises. A couple of broken ribs, they say I've gotten an extremely mild concussion, and malnutrition. The embassy staff here is taking very good care of me." Jack replied.

"_Anything for an American Hero. The administration is deeply indebted to you and what you've done for the country."_ Jack silently bristled at the term hero; he didn't deserve it- he was just doing his job.

"I was just doing my job sir." Jack replied.

"_I have arranged a private plane to bring you stateside when you're ready to travel." _Heller informed him. He was ready to leave then, suddenly anxious to see both Audrey and Kim.

"I hope that will be in a couple of days. They tell me, I'm healing quickly- they just want to keep me here a little while longer to make sure there are no lasting effects from the concussion, and so that the ribs heal enough." Jack said.

"_Kim, and Audrey were here on Saturday for an awards ceremony. I arranged to meet with them, in my office afterwards- I told them about you; that you're alive." _Heller deliberately gentled his tone. Jack swallowed the sudden lump in his throat:

"How'd they take it?"

"Kim's still in shock. She's very hard to read; I told her she could stay until you got back, then travel with her to New York- she accepted it. And Audrey's relieved. She never gave up hope that you were alive, even when she called off the search. She hasn't yet moved on, Jack: she still loves you." Heller answered. Jack swallowed a second lump, and took care to calm himself:

"Tell them, I'll see them in a couple of days."

"A couple of days, the plane will be waiting for you at Shanghai Airport- hangar 17." Heller confirmed.

"Hangar 17. Thank you Mr. Vice President."

"No thanks necessary Jack. Fly safe, and feel better." Heller replied, and hung up the phone. Jack set the phone on his beside table, and settled back against his pillows, and fell asleep- his last thoughts were of Audrey, and Kim.

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C.O.S: Shanghai Prison-

"It's done, Bauer's been released. I oversaw it a few days ago myself."

"_I'm getting confirmation of that from my sources. He should be en route to the USA, within a couple of days. And the suggestions?"_

"It was tough, but we did it. We had to use some of our milder drugs to weaken his mind. He never suspected; they won't suspect until it's too late."

"_Should this continue to work, you will be handsomely rewarded."_

"I expect as much."

"_If I have any further use for you, I'll be in touch."_

"Of course."

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Graham touched the keyboard on his Bluetooth cell-phone and hung up. The fact that everything was falling into place worried him. He was a practical man, always with at least two back-up plans. He knew it was luck combined with chance that the Chinese even agreed to help him; he knew they wanted revenge on Bauer- the man had evaded their capture for nearly two years- if there was a way to get their hands on him, they'd take it in a heartbeat, which, they did. For his part he was just looking for a second way in, after the Logan case, and Bauer provided it. The two ended up being a perfect fit, provided the Chinese prison guard continued to keep quiet.

Graham smiled to himself: the ultimate American hero was headed stateside, and was about to turn into the ultimate American weapon. It was perfect- he just wished the rest of his plan would go just as well.

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C.O.S: Private jet, somewhere close to Arlington Virgina

"**She still loves you." **Jack considered that, as he landed in Washington. He considered their relationship- a tumultuous one from the start. When he met Audrey, he'd given up looking for anyone special. As far as he was concerned, he was too damaged to love, and be loved. There was an unmistakable spark between them, but they each chose to ignore it, becoming fast friends before anything else.

And then came that night at DOD where they were both working late. He had gone to ask her a question, and as he opened her office door noticed that she was sitting there; her head in her hands, completely unguarded. He watched her a moment, before clearing his throat to announce himself.

"**I just came to see if you had any security specs regarding the latest scenario." Jack waited in silence for an answer. While he waited, he observed her, noting the sadness etched in every line of her face, her defeated posture. He knew what a proud woman she was; and that when pressed, she shut down. He resisted his first impulse to go to her, and push her to tell him what was wrong.**

"**Yeah, I'll email them to you." She told him, her voice betraying her weariness. She gave a heavy sigh, and he turned to leave the office.**

"**Don't go," Audrey was forceful, causing his hand to freeze on the doorknob. He turned back toward her, and she gulped:**

"**Would you… Would you want to go get some dinner with me?" He agreed, and helped her into her coat. **

Jack smiled as he remembered how quickly the late-night dinners became a habit; and then just as quickly, they stopped:

"**I can't do this anymore Jack… I'm married; I love my husband." **

**They both looked at the other in stunned silence- it was the first spoken acknowledgment that either had made, that their developing friendship could in fact become more. Audrey for her part was shocked by how empty it sounded; like what was expected of her to say, which wasn't necessarily what was the truth. And that added to her guilt.**

"**We should keep it professional." He remarked, pushing away the feelings of attraction towards her. **

**She gave a sad smile; "yeah, I think that would be best.**

Jack clearly recalled his short-term success in pushing those feelings for her away. But every time he'd succeed, he catch himself staring at her for any sign; any crack in the façade that might show him she still cared about him. And then at official functions, when Audrey would bring Paul he remembered reigning in the feelings of jealousy, watching him placing a protective arm around her shoulders, drawing her close for quick kiss.

Then, there came another night about a month or so after their dinners stopped. Jack recalled it all very clearly:

**He'd just exited the shower after his daily run when the doorbell rang. He hurriedly pulled on his sweatpants, and toweled his hair off, wrapping the towel around his neck. The bell rang again, and barefoot made his way to the door opened it. Audrey entered his apartment, pushing past him and sunk into the cushions of his couch. He tactfully took the chair opposite her, and waited for her to speak.**

**After an awkward silence, she lifted her face to meet his compassionate gaze and spoke:**

"**I left him. I couldn't stay there anymore; I couldn't stand not knowing what this is between us. It's hard for me to ignore; and every time I thought about it, I felt guilty. If I do something, my whole heart has to be in it- and my heart just isn't in my marriage anymore Jack, I don't know if it's been there since you came." **

**Jack stayed where he was, and used the silence to think. He could so easily fall in love with her; easily pledge the rest of his life to her. The only question was, what would happen when she found out he was an addict? Would she balk, and run as so many other women did when they found out about it, or would she stay, and stick by him? Jack hoped that it was the latter. He met her gaze; it was his turn to be honest.**

"**I was addicted to cocaine. I justified it to myself as a way of getting close to my mark, of finishing the job. In reality, it was more of an escape- I just remember feeling lost, lonely; I missed Teri, and thought that if I could forget it all for just a few minutes, it would all be okay. I was wrong of course, and a few minutes one time, became a half-hour the next. It got so that, instead of counting the hours until I was safely at home, I was counting the hours until my next fix. I lost my job over it, and entered detox after the operation was over." **

**Audrey looked at him puzzlingly:**

"**Why are you telling me all this?" He took the opportunity to move close her, and take her hand in both of his, tenderly kissing it. He gazed into her eyes:**

"**Whatever there is between us, I refuse to start it on a lie." His declaration caused her to tremulously smile. She reached up, steadying herself with a hand against his chest, and kissed him. He was surprised at first, nearly pulling back; and then she deepened the kiss. All that existed for them was the moment; there was no past, no husband, and no boss. He let her hands roam across his bare chest, as he held her close to him. **

**She broke the kiss, and her hands flew to her coat frantically tossing it on the couch. She pulled the tail of her shirt out of the skirt she wore, but he grabbed her hands and held them. He looked her straight in the eyes:**

"**Are you sure?" He asked. She met his steady gaze, with an equally steady one of her own, smiling to back it up:**

"**Yeah. " They kissed again, and were instantly lost in each other.**

The next morning, Jack remembered feeling a calmness he had not known since Teri.

**Audrey woke up first, and gazed at the man peacefully sleeping next to her.**

"**Morning," she greeted him.**

"**Morning," he sleepily replied. He awakened all the way the moment he realized who was next to him in bed. **

"**Any regrets?" He asked her.**

"**No. I have no regrets. You?" She responded,**

"**No. No regrets."**

The single flight attendant tapped him in the shoulder, rousing him from his memories:

"Agent Bauer, we've landed at Arlington."

"Thanks." He smiled, backing up the sentiment.

"No regrets," he muttered softly to himself, as he rose from his seat, and walked off the flight.

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She watched as Jack made his way down the stairs, scanning the empty hangar. Finally, he spotted her standing near the door, and quickly made his way over to her.

"You're a sight for sore eyes." He commented.

"So are you." She moved to hug him, and he involuntarily winced. She pulled back:

"I'll take you to your hotel- it's the same one where Kim's staying." Audrey noted the brief look of apprehension cross his features, and wished there was something she could say that would ease his nerves; she doubted he would believe her assurances that it would all be alright- he'd always been realistic enough to know that sometimes things aren't alright. When they finally reached her car, she moved to open the door for him, and he smiled:

"It's alright, I got it." He slowly climbed into the passenger's side of the car and she moved to get behind the wheel. There was a charged silence as they drove, and Audrey, decided where to begin.

"I left L.A." she told him, briefly glancing sideways for any sign of a response. Jack remained silent, his expression blank. Audrey took this as a sign to continue.

"I've taken a job in New York with the U.N. I'm the chief-staff for the American ambassador there. I didn't feel right staying in L.A., there were too many memories there." A second time, she glanced at him and his face was still expressionless. Her tone intensified, as she continued:

"I never stopped looking for you Jack, even after all the others stopped, I couldn't. Even after a month passed, and there was no trace; nothing from our contacts overseas, I never gave up. The only thing that would have stopped me was a body." She stole a third glance at him; his face was still expressionless, only this time he had turned to stare out the window.

She deliberately turned her face back to the road, and set her jaw, in an effort to get over the disappointment she felt building up inside her. She made the last turn, and after a short distance pulled up in front of a hotel.

"They get a lot of business travelers here, so they have clothing stores on premises. Or, there's also a mall two blocks that way: she pointed on down past the hotel." She struggled to keep her tone neutral, and pulled into a spot not far away from the entrance. He undid his seatbelt, and stiffly climbed out of the car. He waited for her to grab an envelope out of the glove box, and let her lead the way towards the building.

"Kim's matured. She's working in New York now; with one of the ad agencies- she's lonely though. Apparently, he was just a psychologist that came with her to CTU. And she's moved on." Audrey told him, unwilling to give up hope of a connection with him. He half-smiled at the last statement. They rode the elevator in silence to the 10th floor, where they got off. Audrey opened the yellow envelope and retrieved a key card for him, with a second white envelope. After all this time, his touch still sent chills through her. He must have felt something too, because he looked up at her shocked.

"Your room is number 1020, down that way, it's adjoining Kim's." She led the way, and paused before a solid white door with gold plated numbers: 1020 on it. She stepped aside and let him open up the door and step through first. They stood awkwardly in the doorway for a few moments in silence; she could feel his gaze appraising her, and nervously reached up, and attempted to straighten her hair, and clothes, conscious of the mess she must appear to be. She gulped:

"I should go, my dad will want a full report. I'll call you tomorrow." He impulsively grabbed her hand,

"I never stopped thinking about you." She smiled, and took her hand back, then made her way back down the hall to the elevators.

She pressed the call button and stepped into the elevator, thinking about what just happened. She didn't know what was wrong with her; she'd gotten what she wanted: a miraculous chance with Jack, and she wanted to trust it- but the fact is she didn't. Audrey knew why too; it was because the last time with him so fleeting, one minute they were planning their relationship, and reveling in the second chance- and in the next minute he was gone. And she wanted him here always. She took another moment to steady herself before taking out her cell-phone.

"He's in his room." She told the other person.

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"Thanks." Kim ended the call with Audrey, and set the cell phone on the table. She carefully examined her reflection. Her face told the story of the recent sleepless nights, spent crying, and considering this exact moment. She briefly glanced at her makeup bag sitting on the side of the sink, and decided not to bother hiding it. She'd spent enough time hiding things from her father. She took up the brush, and brushed her hair, picking up the hair elastic and tying it back in a ponytail. She took a deep, steadying breath, as she approached the door to the adjoining room and knocked. 'It was now or never', she thought to herself.

"It's unlocked." Jack's voice echoed from within. She pushed the door open taking a deep breath and entered in response. Kim stopped close to the doorway to her own room and looked her father up and down. He was propped up against some pillows watching television with his shirt off. She audibly gasped as she noted the pink scars, and scabs that criss-crossed his chest. He had obviously lost weight- his muscles didn't look as defined as they once were- the effects of malnutrition she figured. In addition to the cuts, she noticed the heavy bruising over his ribs, and his left eye. Her first impulse was to go to him, and offer to see to his cuts and bruises- attempt to make him more comfortable. She checked it, figuring it was going to be a long time before their relationship was back to that level, so instead of that she made her way to a chair near the window, and turned it facing the bed where he lay.

"Did you have a good flight?" She began.

"Yeah, it was long though- a bit uncomfortable because of the ribs. But they made me as comfortable as they could so it wasn't so bad." The room was silent again.

"You've been in Washington long?" He asked her.

"Since Saturday. The Vice President invited me, and a few others to an awards banquet. It was nice."

"The secr- I mean Vice President has been good to you?"

"Yeah, he and Audrey have been good to me. They're decent people." The room lapsed into silence, and Kim bristled; she didn't like the way their conversation was going, and she had a lot to say. The impersonal nature of it surprised her, and she feared that if she didn't say what she needed to here and now, she never would. She was the one to break the silence:

"I'm sorry dad. Jack looked her with some shock, and was silent waiting for her to continue:

" I'm sorry for everything- I was wrong to push you away when mom died. I was wrong, to turn away from you when I found out you did cocaine while on the Salazar mission. I should have been there for you then when you needed me. Most of all though, I'm sorry for the way I acted on the day of the Logan bust- it was selfish, and immature and I shouldn't have said those things. I should have been more grateful for the second chance with you- I thought you were dead, and I should have been thanking God you weren't. I understand now, that you made the only choice you could given the circumstances. I can only imagine what it cost you, to be cut off from your life, being unable to go back."

Jack looked at her, relief visible in his posture:

"What I never got the chance to tell you that day, was that there were countless times I was tempted to call you, countless times that I was tempted to go and see you. And then I'd always think out the consequences of getting caught, the consequences of having the phone call traced. It would not only put you, and the others in danger, but it would also endanger the people I lived with; and they didn't deserve it. "

"I know that now." Kim replied. She shyly approached the side of the bed and put his arms around him, squeezing gently. He responded with tighter squeeze; he pulled back first, patting the bed next to him, and yawned.

"I should go, you're tired. You must need the rest, and remember you're still recovering for your injuries."

"No stay- I can sleep later. I just want you around now."

"Okay." She agreed. He sighed happily in response; for the first time in months, he was content.

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To all the Audrey/Jack fans: it will happen, just not yet. What's the fun in having them get together right away?

That's it for this update, and I hope you've enjoyed it.

Please read and review.

-A.B.


	4. Rebirth: Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the storyline, and a single original character.

Summary: See chapter #1

Author's notes: 1. "" Dialogue, '' thoughts

2. Bold: Flashbacks

3. Italics: Phone conversation

4. Some of the dialogue is not mine either.

Spoilers: Season #5, and Season #6.

Rebirth: Chapter #4

**Jack rested his head on the cool floor. He knew exactly where he was, and whom he was with. He stretched one leg, and then the second recoiling at the pain coursing through his body. And the worst part was, he didn't care; he was resigned to the fact he would die here the moment the Chinese attacked him in the warehouse. On some level, he knew he should be bothered by that fact; that he didn't care about getting a second chance with Audrey, or Kim, or that he'd never see Tony, or get to meet his kids, but he wasn't. Instead, he felt a calmness that he hadn't known for an extremely long time; that for once in his life nothing mattered, nobody was relying on him to do anything; no matter what he did next, his own fate was the only one he had to worry about.**

**"Mr. Bauer, I see you have rejoined us," Jack strained to see the source of voice, as his captor stepped out of the shadows. He swallowed hard, as the only sounds were his own breathing, and the captor's footsteps. Jack wetted his cracked lips:**

**"One phone call, and then you can kill me." Jack truly had no idea who he would call he just felt the need to test his captors. The man responded by walking closer and staring down at him, locking gazes with Jack.**

**"You're too valuable to kill Mr. Bauer."**

**"My government refuses to negotiate with terrorists."**

**"You fail to realize, we are not the terrorists. You are the ones that violated my country's sovereignty. You Mr. Bauer are the one who murdered our Consul, and evaded our capture for 18 months. "**

**"If you're looking for some kind of apology from me, you won't get one. What I did that day, was in the name of national security- I was working to save lives. " Jack's gaze was defiant. The loudspeaker sounded:**

**"Mr. Cheng, we are now approaching the port of Shanghai."**

**"You will find Mr. Bauer, that the Chinese have long memory's."**

**"Of that I have no doubt." Jack dryly replied. Cheng left the room.**

**Jack knew what awaited him in Chinese prison were daily interrogations, followed closely by daily beatings. He knew that there likely would come a day when an interrogator might go too far, and instead of putting him back in his cell, they would put him instead into an unmarked grave. And he didn't care; he was done fighting- he'd fought for everything, and he'd lost everything, and now he was done.**

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Kim glanced sideways at her dad, who was staring sightlessly out the car window. They'd talked nearly the whole night, and she only left as it became obvious he was getting tired. The conversation was fairly one-sided; he'd questioned her about her life since he was gone, and she answered. He was pretty close-mouthed about his experiences in China, but she supposed it was because that it was technically a matter of national security so she knew that it wasn't that he couldn't talk about it. But she picked up on a silent tenseness; as if he'd seen, and experienced things that no human being should ever experience.

"I'm sure CTU would postpone the debriefing another day." She offered, as a way to start a conversation.

"It's okay, I would rather I get this over with."

"Alright." Kim turned her gaze back to the road.

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**They'd put him in a solitary, windowless cell. The only furnishings were a dingy- looking mattress on the floor, and a sink up against the far wall. He hobbled over the mattress, and sat down, breathless. He'd survived another day, another beating. It was getting to the point where he could predict the routine: two guards would come, and drag him from his cell to an interrogation room where they would withdraw leaving him to sit in darkness. Then after some time, a third officer would enter flipping the light switch on, and taking seat opposite him and began the questioning- always the same questions regarding the incident at the Embassy, and his whereabouts the 18 months following. He always stared straight ahead, and never said a word. The interrogator would cajole him, offering his life in exchange for some kind of information regarding that night, and he still wouldn't say anything. Then, they would beat him, just the right amount- not too much to cause broken bones, or sprains, but enough to cause substantial bruising, cuts, and the occasional pulled muscle. He didn't care what they did to him; it was over, he was done. The same two guards would toss him back into his cell, and he would collapse on the mattress, tired. He would sleep, and the same process would be repeated the following day.**

**Days, and weeks blended together for him; he spent all of his time when he wasn't being beaten alone in his cell. And the odd thing about being alone was that even though he'd lost everything, and stopped caring about his own life, he found he couldn't stop wondering about Kim. He couldn't get the memory of that last day- the last time he saw her. He heard her words repeatedly in his head:**

**"I love you, but I can't be around you right now." He'd seen the pain written on her face, and the tension in her every movement. He quite clearly remembered that she'd never once looked him in the eye. It brought the revelation that their relationship had truly disintegrated to nearly nothing, and that was what shook him to his core. She was his only family, and the only person whose approval truly mattered to him. Without her, there was only his job. He knew there was a time, when he was that work-obsessed guy, and he hated who he was then. He knew he couldn't go back to that, but he also knew he had no choice- it was all there was left, now that she'd gone.**

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"Here we are dad." Kim informed her father, as she pulled in a spot close to the door. Jack undid his seatbelt and gingerly climbed out of the car. They walked towards the building and went in. Like all CTU buildings, this one had a layer of security to go through- the sign-in book, and a visitor's badge. A single agent, a familiar face to Jack, one Curtis Manning, met them inside the security gate.

Curtis smiled at his friend: "Welcome back Jack. Bill, and the Vice President, are waiting in conference room one." Jack smiled back, clasping the other man's hand:

"Thank you Curtis, it's good to be back. Listen, is there a place where Kim can wait while we do this?" Curtis nodded:

"I'll take her up to my office." Jack nodded in response, and Curtis led the way to the conference room, and then escorted Kim to his office:

"If you need anything, just ask Carrington, and she'll be glad to see to it." Kim smiled:

"Thanks." Curtis offered her another smile, and left the office, walking back downstairs. She stood in front of the windows and looked down on the floor; it was planned exactly like CTU Los Angeles was planned, from where she stood, she could see the entire floor, where the technical staff was located, all of field ops support staff. She let her gaze wander- it was still relatively early, with the day shift beginning their routine- starting up their stations, socializing with each other, getting ready for their staff meetings. Kim eyed a group gathered around the field ops area, and watched the easy camaraderie amongst them. One of them whispered to another, and the second person looked up, making eye contact with her. She quickly looked away, and shut the blinds turning away from the view, and seating herself on a couch facing the desk, and began flipping through a magazine she had brought. She was startled a short time later when the door opened.

"I'm sorry. The blinds were closed, and I figured nobody was in here." A familiar voice spoke. Kim immediately recognized it, looking up from her magazine in shock:

"It's alright Chase." They shared a brief look of surprise. Chase had moved into the room and placed the folder on the desk, and stood there a moment.

"Heard about your dad. You must be happy to have him back." She deflected his question with one of her own:

"How's Angela?" Kim asked him. Chase smiled:

"She's good. Growing, almost 3 years old." He looked down at the floor, suddenly awkward:

"Stacey couldn't handle it- the pressure of being a mother. So she gave up all her custody rights to me."

"How's your job?"

"It's good. Curtis is good boss, and he understands; he give me plenty of time off, so I'm with Angela as much as I can be." He suddenly shifted a hand to his pocket, bringing out his wallet, and taking out a picture.

"That's of her when she was two."

"She's beautiful Chase." Kim was quiet.

"So you're dad's back." Chase took up the thread of conversation.

"Yeah, he is." Kim kept her voice non-committal. Chase looked her in the eyes, and noted the worry. He stepped closer, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and firmly told her:

"He'll be okay Kim."

"I know. He's different Chase, I don't know how, but he is. He's not talking about his experience at all, and yes I realize that in large part it is a matter that has to do with National Security but still… It's as if it never happened- as if he simply got injured as part of an operation. He acts perfectly normal." Kim said.

"I know your dad quite well Kim, and he was always very private, making this nothing too out of the ordinary. It could also be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, in which, case he'll eventually need to talk. All you need to do, is be there for him, and ready to listen because when the dam finally breaks…" Chase left off. He pulled a piece of notepaper off Curtis' desk grabbing a pen he wrote his phone number:

"If you want to talk, that's the number for my cell. You can reach me day or night if you need to." She slipped the paper in her pocket.

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James Heller sat back in his seat, carefully watching Jack. He'd listened to his account first of being attacked in the warehouse, and then of the events at the prison in Shanghai. And he'd watched him closely too; specifically his facial expressions; one thing stood out for him- he was calm, and rational. He related the events as if they were facts, not experiences that happened to him- with no emotion whatsoever behind them. Normally, when someone did that, he could applaud the effort as heroic.

This case was different for him. Sitting before him, was a man who had been forced to do unspeakable things, and had them done to him. A man who'd beaten addiction, and sacrificed everything for his duty to his country multiple times, and yet somehow never quite reached a breaking point. After all Heller knew of him, and after all he'd experienced with him, he'd figured this might be it. But apparently it wasn't. It all made him wonder, if this wasn't the man's breaking point, then what was?

"Any further questions Mr. Vice President?" Curtis asked. He shook himself out of his reverie:

"No, that will be all, Agent Manning."

"Then we're done." The group rose, and Heller left, lingering in the hallway just outside the door. Bill moved closer to Jack, and pressed a business card into his palm and whispered:

"Give me a call, when you're ready." Jack gave a shaky smile and pocketed the card. Heller closely watched the display, and took note of the crack in the façade. Jack exited the room, and made his way over to where Heller waited.

"It really is good to have you back Jack."

"Thank you sir."

They looked up at the sound of laughter, and noticed Kim, making her way downstairs with Curtis. In a glance, Heller took in a lot that was unspoken, and noted the brief look of apprehension cross his face.

"It'll be alright son, just give it time." Jack said nothing, moving forward to meet up with Kim. Kim looked at her father:

"We should go, you need your rest." Jack nodded his assent, and the pair walked out. Heller turned, and walked back into the conference room, motioning the other two to follow. They sat down, and Heller struggled to put his observations to words:

"That wasn't what I expected. There were no emotions behind it, just a simple statement of the facts, and for a man so soon removed from Chinese custody, that surprises, no it shocks me. There should be some glimmer of triumph, or some hint of some sort of mental pain, and I can find nothing."

"I don't follow- Bauer's always been alarmingly good at hiding his emotions, and detaching himself from his surroundings. It's what's made him an exceptional field officer; if he wasn't that good, he would have been broken long ago." Bill replied.

"That's my point. Most agents I've known have been mentally strong people, but even they have had their breaking points. You exclude the addiction that happened in the course of the Salazar case, and Jack really hasn't reached that point yet." Heller continued.

"I see. You're telling us, that you think he's near that point now?" Curtis asked, disbelievingly.

"I'm saying that there is a distinct possibility that the Chinese were able to break him, and it hasn't caught up with him yet. It's a possibility, that we need to be aware of." Heller finished.

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**Jack started at the tap on his shoulder, and went back to sleep. It wasn't time yet- it couldn't be time yet, they'd only just recently thrown him back in his cell. The tap came again, this time more insistent, and when he didn't budge, they picked him up off his mattress and through the doorway. 'This was it, he thought, as they dragged him through the countless hallways. This was the day they would go too far, and either leave him in dying in an unmarked grave after a beating, or shoot him. And he calmly accepted either outcome- he didn't care anymore; he was done fighting; all he wanted was oblivion.**

**It was a shock to him, when they suddenly stopped in front of a door, and it was pushed open. One of his guards stepped in front of him and unlocked the chains that bound his hands and ankles, as the second grabbed his black hooded sweater. The two of them together shoved him out into an alley where he landed with a thud. He looked up as he heard the lock click shut, and waited for a moment for someone to follow, when they didn't, he struggled to his feet, and stumbled a few steps away from the prison then paused and looked back in disbelief: just like that he was free. He continued making his way out the gates of the prison and into the noisy streets of Shanghai.**

**He hesitated a moment before choosing a direction to take, and finally chose right, continuing to half-walk, half- stumble his way down the street, his mind still reeling in disbelief. His freedom was the last thing he expected, and something in the back of his mind wanted to ask why. After all the posturing, after all the threats, why would they release him?**

**"Sir, are you okay?"**

**He looked around, and for the first time noted that he'd stopped walking. He blinked dazedly, briefly not knowing what to say.**

**"Sir?" the woman asked, the concern showing on her face. He gulped before stammering his reply:**

**"I'm fine." She nodded, her face still showing concern, she moved away. He began walking again; his progress slow because of his injuries, and the fact that he stopped every few feet to make sure he still wasn't followed. Every time he looked back the question of why still troubled him, why did they hold him for how long has it been… weeks? Months? Years? He still didn't know, and then release him with virtually nothing wrong with him- there had to be a reason, something about him…**

**"Sir?" He looked in the direction the voice came from- a police officer leaning against the building to his right.**

**"Are you alright?" The officer asked.**

**"I-I'm fine." He stammered, his voice still rusty from little use. He thought for a moment:**

**"Embassy?" He asked.**

**"They're in that direction. The officer pointed to the left. The American one is the one closest to us." Jack grew suspicious:**

**"How did you know I was…"**

**"American- your accent." Jack cast a glance quickly behind him:**

**"Thanks." He told the officer, and moved to the left.**

**His mind immediately went to the problem of getting onto Embassy property without being seen. The best way would be to wait out the night, and approach in the morning. He shivered as he moved along the street- it was near sunset, and a chill crept into the air. He slowed down; his ribs were beginning to tighten up in response to the chill, and his breath came in gasps more than actual breaths. He wanted to stop; to lay down and just fall asleep- he knew that in his current condition he wouldn't last the night, and part of him- a significant part wanted it- he was tired of fighting, tired of running- he just wanted it all to be over. He pushed that thought aside, as he approached the building, noting immediately the structure with ivy-covered walls around it, and just one wrought-iron gate. He knew without looking that marines heavily guarded it, it was a standard procedure for American security. There was of course one guardhouse just inside the gate, which, likely would be home to the night-guard commander. As he approached it, the gates opened as a vehicle exited and he managed to slip inside. He took in his surroundings, and began making his way towards the hedge that went parallel to the wall- he would hide in the small space between the hedge and the wall until morning.**

**Jack breathed a sigh of relief as he settled himself into the small space. He'd made it unseen, and now all he had to do is stay warm, and alive until morning- both of which were becoming increasing difficult as his muscles stiffened, and the sun went down making it feel colder than it already was. He huddled deeper against the wall trying to glean what warmth there was left. He leaned his head against the wall, if he could close his eyes, just for one moment…**

**"Come out with your hands on your head," came the shouted order, and Jack moved slowly in his attempt to obey. He stepped from the bushes onto a paved driveway and fell to his knees. The butt of a gun felt cold press against his back causing a blinding pain to course through him. He overheard the solider communicate via walkie-talkie with the Sergeant, who within moments appeared before him. It was then the pain became too much, and he collapsed. His last thought before he lost consciousness was the one word that had been troubling him all day: "Why?"**

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"There were two guards that woke me up one day, and dragged me through this maze of hallways. There was a door at the end of it, and one of them undid the chains binding my wrists and ankles together, and then the two of them together threw me out the door and into the alley." Kim turned her full attention onto her father at their table in the restaurant. Jack continued:

"My freedom was the last thing I thought they would give me. I thought that this was it; they were finally planning to kill me, so when after a few moments nobody followed I was shocked. I got to my feet, and eventually made my way to the Embassy. I was more paranoid than normal- I would stop every few steps and look behind me to be sure I wasn't followed. When it became clear that I wasn't going to be followed, I began wondering why they made it so easy for me, what were the strings attached to this miraculous escape?"

Kim narrowed her eyes, as she listened to her dad finish telling of his escape. She was conflicted; in the days since his return she had worried about him, that he wouldn't speak about his ordeal in China, and now he had, and she wasn't sure she wanted to hear it. She was relieved he was talking, but at the same time it was one thing to know that her dad had been beaten, and see the effects of it, and quite another to imagine him struggling along the streets of some foreign city half a world away. She reached across the table and grasped one of his hands in both of hers and smiled:

"I'm glad to have you home dad." Jack wouldn't let it go:

"There has to be a reason it was that easy Kim." Kim swallowed the lump in her throat:

"If there was a reason, we'll find it. I promise; together."

* * *

That's the end of that chapter. Hope you liked it, and want more- all you have to do is review.

Author's note:

Major Spoiler alert: In the next chapter I am planning to introduce a character mentioned in spoilers over at the 24 forum on the Fox website.

Thanks,

A.B.


	5. Rebirth: Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, merely the storyline.

Summary: See Chp. #1

Author's notes:

1. Spoiler Alert now includes Season #6

2. ""Dialouge, '' thoughts

3Bolded stuff is flashbacks

4. Italics mean a phone conversation

5.888888 is used to indicate a character change

* * *

Rebirth: Chapter #5 

She could trace it back to one moment- a single moment was all it took for her to stop loving her husband; all it took for her to hate him. Before that moment, love, and after- nothing but blinding hate.

She was the eldest of 5- 3 sisters, and a brother; she'd always been protective of them, always willing to do anything for them. She had a special connection with her brother, the youngest Walt. He was always the softhearted one; always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt; he also had a vulnerability about him that made you want to protect him. It was a shock then, when he announced that he had agreed to enter the political arena as an operative- the chief of staff to the then Presidential candidate Charles Logan. She had argued with him, and attempted to warn him, her reporter's instincts going off that this was a bad idea- but he didn't listen.

"**Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked him.**

"**Yeah. Leanne, I want to serve my country; what better way than working with the President. He'll do so much good- I know it." She noticed that he'd turned away from her, and had failed to make eye contact. She pressed him on it:**

"**Walt turn around, and look me in the eye while telling me this is what you want." He turned around, and came to the table where she was sitting, took both of her hands in one of his:**

"**This is what I want." He said, his voice full of conviction. There was silence for a while, as he took his hands back and broke eye contact with her looking everywhere but her. He sighed:**

"**Why are you so against this?"**

"**My instincts are telling me that there's something wrong with this guy, so I've done some digging," she started, and noted the immediate change of expression, she continued:**

"**I started talking to a few people that were on committees with him. They gave me the impression that this guy is weak, and indecisive. One of them hinted to me, that the main reason he got to where he is today is thanks in large part to the funding behind him. So I did some checking on that front, via publiscized list of donations, and managed to trace one of the highest ones to a group of unknown investors."**

"**Why do always do this? Why do you always manage to find something wrong with what I'm doing?" He asked, defiance starting to enter his tone.**

"**I'm not apologizing for what I've done Walt. I had a feeling this guy was bad news, and I followed it up. I'm only telling you what I found out, because I don't want my baby brother getting involved in a potentially messy situation."**

" '**This guy' as you persist in calling him, is a good man with plans for this country. He wants to lower unemployment, increase education spending, and rebuild medicare. How can you be against someone with plans to do all that?" He replied.**

"**I can't disagree; those are all issues that need to be dealt with, but this man is weak and he owes something to somebody. How long before that group of investors comes calling in their favours for their investment in him? And that's what will happen Walt." She could tell that he was thinking through what she said.**

"**Your objections are duly noted, and taken into account. But I still want to do this Leanne, and I'm going to- no matter what you do or say to attempt to convince me otherwise."**

**Her voice betrayed the sadness she felt:**

"**I'm genuinely sorry Walt, but I can't a part of this. I can't ignore the feeling that Logan is bad news; and I can't stand by while you make what I know to be the worst decision of your life." It was her turn to rise then, and leave the table. She left his apartment without a backward glance, and without knowing, that this was the last time she would see him alive.**

Her outbursts when she had them were always short-lived, and usually accompanied by instant apologies. But that time she couldn't bring herself to go back there, because a return to Walt's apartment would mean admitting she was wrong; and she knew she wasn't. She had seen, and gathered the evidence herself. She wasn't wrong this time. All of this caused her to become increasingly distant- she would fight with her husband Graem over everything, until one day looking tired and defeated he left their house for good.

Walt died less than a week after Graem left. She had just gotten off the phone with her mother and heard the door open. She got out of her chair, and dazedly moved towards the front of their house.

"**Walt's dead." She simply told him, and under the shock of it all collapsed into her husbands arms. When she woke up the next morning she could hear him moving around the house, and was comforted by his presence, so much so that he moved back in. **

By the time of Walt's funeral, the family had found out that it was suicide. It never rang true with Leanne- Walt was this positive, happy, energetic guy. He had a beautiful wife, and child; everything to live for- the only reason she could think of for him wanting to kill himself was… No, she couldn't follow that line of thinking, because it led her back her, and to the fight they had over Logan. She refused to feel guilty over it and dismissed the suggestion out of hand. Walt was his own man after all. Because it never rang true with her, she did some investigating, which, at first turned up nothing.

Then, the truth about Logan came out, and with it word of her own brother's involvement. It caused her to change her thinking; if Walt had gotten himself deeply involved in something that sinister, it was likely he knew too much and people wanted him dead. She used sources within the intelligence community, and government itself, to pick up the trail again. It all led her back to this mysterious group of investors she had found out, that were heavily financing Logan's campaign. She leaned heavily on the sources again, and the trail led her to the place she least expected: her own home.

Leanne heaved the final suitcase into the entryway of her home. She badly wanted this to be over; one last confrontation and she would leave and never look back. She sat at the desk by the front door and composed herself. She was ready when the door opened to reveal Graem:

"**You killed him." She simply stated. Her tone caught his attention; there was no malice in it, or accusation; merely a statement of facts. He stood a few feet away from her, and shrugged non-comittally. **

"**You killed him." She repeated forcefully. He shrugged again:**

"**He was bright, and intelligent, and giving. He had a family to provide for, he wanted to serve his country, for someone he believed in, and you killed him. What were you thinking?" Leanne allowed the bitterness to show in her tone. Graem for his part was resigned- he knew his involvement would be eventually found it; he just didn't want it to be by her.**

"**It was a necessary casualty; it couldn't be helped. Walt- he knew too much, when things began going wrong we needed a fall guy. Logan was too powerful, so it came down to Walt- he was powerful enough to make a statement, but not powerful enough that he would be missed." Graem justified.**

"**Good-bye Graem" She replied, her voice full of all the hatred she felt inside. He stood helplessly by while she pushed past him out the door. She never looked back, and in that instant all the love she had for her husband, turned to hate.**

She took a swig from her glass and stared at the phone. Ever since she'd left him, she'd been making efforts to piece together what exactly led up to the events around that day focusing on the money trail behind Logan; her instincts told her, that's where it started. Her search, yielded few leads; anyone she spoke to told her only half-truths and cryptic remarks. There was one name that kept resurfacing was; Carnex- a drug company that specialized in drugs that aided in the treatment of mental conditions. She opened the notebook in which, she had been keeping her notes having to do with the case- her last conversation had yielded finally yielded a name: Phillip Bauer- the company's CEO.

* * *

C.O.S: CTU 

Bill Buchanan gazed speculatively out the window of his office. Heller was right; Jack Bauer was broken- Bill looked him in the eye and the spark was gone. He listened to him speak and it was as if he was operating on autopilot- he said the words, but there was a dangerous disconnect there, as if Jack had completely shut himself off.

But what would have done it? What could have caused a previously resilient man to shut down like that? Bill knew from reports that he had been beaten, and malnourished. But from what he knew of his dossier, what Jack had told him, himself he had survived much worse. That left some kind of psychological trauma, but that didn't seem to fit- the doctors would have known, and would have included it in their report to Heller.

Ordinarily he would call it an issue of agent burnout, but his instincts told him otherwise. It was really more of a breakdown, than burnout. And even that didn't quite fit. That brought him back to psychological trauma. If it was trauma though, it was some kind of mind manipulation so subtle, and deep that they failed to detect it. The thought of mind manipulation triggered a memory of some chatter he'd heard regarding a Chinese program to use drugs to weaken the mind, and implant suggestions. It gave the impression that the program was a future probability, and nothing was certain- nothing was done about it, and it was kept on file, likely collecting dust at DOD.

In an odd way though, it would make sense; what better weapon than a top intelligence agent to turn on America? He's already got military and intelligence training. He knows the way DOD and the intelligence agencies operate. Couple that knowledge, with the fact that he was mentally worn out by the isolation brought on by hiding out for 18 months, as well as the emotional trauma of losing his friends, and his daughter. Bill could easily see how all that could create an atmosphere where somebody could be manipulated.

There was of course one person that could shed some light on the subject, and with a grin Bill picked up the phone and dialed a number that was becoming as familiar as his own:

"_Karen Hayes." _The tone of the voice was business-like.

"Karen, it's Bill Buchanan at CTU." Bill answered.

"_Bill. Did you call to cash in that rain check for that breakfast you cancelled on me?"_ She asked playfully.

"I'd actually switch that to a dinner- and then maybe who knows…" Bill played along, and kept it mysterious.

"_Ah. A girl has got to have some mystery in her life I suppose. What can I do for you today Bill?"_ She asked, her voice switching back Bill was silent, unsure of how to start the conversation:

"For now, I'd to keep this in the strictest confidence. You know that Jack Bauer was released, and has made his return to the USA?"

"_Yes, I seem to remember it in one of my intelligence briefings. Surviving a Chinese prison, and living to tell the tale- that man deserves all the accolades he can handle." _She said.

"He's not the same man, as when he left. There's something off about him." Bill began.

"_Bill, he survived a Chinese prison- he's physically injured. Of course there's something off about him. It's probably Post Traumatic Stress." _She responded.

"I don't think so. With PTSD, he'd be fine- or as fine as he was before the Chinese caught up with him. I've seen him Karen, and it's like he's on autopilot. He debriefed us regarding his imprisonment, and he said the words but there were no feelings behind it. Usually ex-prisoners would feel some sort of relief, or excitement. He didn't; his eyes, his posture; everything about him told the story of a completely broken man." Bill finished.

"_What do you think happened in China?" _she asked.

"Mind manipulation. A while back, my people came across chatter about a possible Chinese mind manipulation program, where after the use of drugs suggestions are implanted. It was unsubstantiated, and may have been something that was very much in the planning stages. We ended up shifting it onto DOD servers. It's the only explanation that makes sense right now." Bill responded.

Her mind immediately leapt to the possible complications:

"_That would be a powerful weapon- an ex-military, intelligence officer weakened to the point that he could be used against his own government."_

"Would you look into it, and see if there's any truth to it?" He asked her.

"_Yes, I will. Have you taken this to Vice President Heller?" _She answered.

"I wanted to wait until I had something more to go on. There are of course, personal implications to be considered with him." Bill replied.

"_Of course. I'll have the information for you in a couple of days."_

"Thanks Karen." Bill said.

"_One last thing: I'm only going to be able to do late dinners for a while."_ Karen playfully informed him.

"Duly noted. Bye Karen, and thanks again" Bill chuckled.

"_Talk to you in a few days."_ She answered. They both hung up, and Bill went back to work.

* * *

There you have it- a little appetizer before the big Premiere on Sunday, and Monday. 

Please read and review.

Enjoy the season's premiere:D

-A.B.


	6. Rebirth: Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters associated with the awesome show that is 24. I however, do own the plot, and any unrecognizable characters.

Summary: See Chapter #1

Spoilers: The spoiler alert now includes season #6.

Author's notes:

1. ""Dialogue, '' thoughts

2. Italics are used to indicate a phone conversation or a dream sequence

3.Bolded type is used for flashbacks

4. 888 character change

Rebirth: Chapter #6

_Audrey stood beside the ambulance feeling the warm sunshine on her back. On her face was an irrepressible grin; her one thought was that he was here, and he was alive, whatever other issues there were, they could get through. She stretched her arms above her head, and walked a little way towards the building. She nervously checked her watch, and thought: An hour, he should be out by now.' She still didn't move to enter the building, knowing full well the complex relationship between fathers and daughters. She paced a little, imagining again the feel of his lips on hers, and smiled knowing that it was a matter of when it would happen not if. She looked at her watch a second time; 1.5 hrs had gone by since he entered the building. She made her way into the building briefly pausing to allow her eyes to adjust to the light. _

_She was stirred by a single groan coming from just inside the inner doors. She walked through the open doorway, and before her eyes adjusted to the dim light she spotted his still form laying just feet from where she stood. _

"_Jack?!" Audrey called. The groan repeated itself, and she made her way the rest of the way over, and knelt down beside him. She couldn't believe it was the same man; his face was swollen and covered with blood. His shirt had been ripped open, and there were angry welts and scratches cris-crossing his chest. There was also heavy bruising colouring the skin, indicating the possibility of internal bleeding. She noticed his chest irregularly rose and fell._

"_Don't hurt me. P-please don't hurt me anymore." He stammered out, her alarm increased, as she picked up hand in both of hers and spoke as calmly as she could:_

"_It's Audrey, Jack. Whoever did this is, has left. I'm here now, and I'm going to make sure you get the help you need." He looked at her in response, his troubled gaze clearing:_

"_Audrey?" His voice was broken. She gulped down the lump in her throat:_

"_I'm here Jack."_

"_Don't leave me." She responded by taking his hand again looking down at him. She sat there in silence, listening to his breathing grow fainter by the moment. _

"_Since the moment I met you, I loved you. Even when I found out you were married, I still loved you. When I disappeared, you were the one name I woke up with on my lips, and the person whose face I fell asleep picturing." He told her, his voice filled with emotion._

_She knew what he was trying to say to her, but didn't want to fully admit it yet:_

"_No. You are not going to die Jack, you are not going to say good-bye to me damn it. Somebody is going to realize where we are, and come searching; and then you can get the help for your injuries."_

_He freed of his hands from her grasp, and reached up to stroke her face:_

"_I'm tired. I'm tired of it all Audrey. All the pain, all the fighting- I just want it all to end. You understand that don't you?" He plaintively asked._

_She was silent. Everything within Audrey wanted to say no; she didn't understand. She wanted him to fight with everything he had, with everything she had. She couldn't understand his giving up- not after so much, not after what they'd been through. As the silence wore on, without her response, she found she could understand. She knew what his job cost him, his wife, his friends, and his daughter, his humanity. And she knew the worst part was he realized all this, and was powerless to stop it. She felt his grasp slacken, and allowed a tear to escape. Her eyes trained on his chest, as she watched it rise and fall, dreading that each time it did would be the last. _

_She finally took her gaze from his chest, and moved up to his face. He'd closed his eyes against the pain that was etched into every feature. She noticed lips that mere moments before were kissing her, now thinned to the point of non-exisistence. She looked away for a moment; a second tear escaped and went down her face._

"_Audrey-" He called out to her, his voice sounding so far away. She looked down at him, and was met with his clear blue gaze:_

"_I'm still here Jack, I haven't left you."_

"_Audrey I-I…" She knew where he was going with it; it was written in his eyes that he loved her. She cut him off, still unwilling to believe it to be true:_

"_They'll be here soon. It's all going to be alright; you'll get the help you need."_

"_I love you." He finally got out. She was about to reply, when she noticed his breathing slow again, and then stop._

"_I understand," she quietly answered his original question._

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Audrey woke up sweating, with a tear in her eye. It felt so real- her happiness at finding him alive, and kissing her contrasted with the shock at finding him beaten and broken in the empty warehouse, her helplessness when he wouldn't let her call anybody. She climbed out of bed, and shrugged into her green terrycloth robe, and padded downstairs; past experience had taught her that there would be no more sleep for her tonight. She made her way to the kitchen, where the clock said 5 am- it was time for her to be up anyway; she said she'd help her father with a foreign policy speech. She put the coffee maker on, andsat down at a bar stool to wait.

As she waited, she allowed her mind to wander over the events of the previous few days. She saw Jack, and knew him to be what he was- a broken man. She had heard rumors, and read reports of what happened to prisoners in Chinese custody- it made her not want to know what he'd been through. But, at the same time, she wished he'd talk about it to somebody; it was never healthy to keep an experience like that a secret for long. She knew that if she pushed it with him, she would risk pushing him away permanently, and she was still very much in love with him.

That brought her back to the dream- her worst fear, losing Jack. She still had so much she wanted to say to him, that to even think of him dying, filled her with a dread she'd never known before. That brought her back to his state-of mind. He was broken to be sure, but did he really want to die? Did he really want to just give up? Audrey wanted to say no to that; she wasn't like that herself, so she found it very hard to believe that somebody else was like that. But, Jack always struck her as being someone haunted. She always just shrugged it off, as being an occupational hazard; having to make life and death decisions on a moment's notice- you're going to question yourself sometimes. With him, she could easily see that as the ghosts accumulated they would haunt him- and eventually it might get to be too much.

"You're up early. We aren't supposed to be working on the speech until 10." Audrey turned around to find her dad had entered the room. She turned and glanced at the coffee maker, which had at some point turned itself off.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep that well." She shrugged him off, and grabbed a mug. Heller followed suit, pouring the steaming hot liquid into both mugs. He noticed the troubled look on Audrey's face:

"It's nothing unusual. Agents who have been on deep-cover operations, or taken prisoner often have trouble re-connecting with their lives. You have to be patient with it." Heller reassured her.

"What do you think happened to him?" She asked,

"He was beaten- that much is certain, and in keeping with reports of what happens to prisoners in Chinese custody. But what we don't know is the toll that the isolation took on him; that will take time to figure out." Heller answered. They sipped their coffee in silence, which was interrupted by the intercom. Audrey pressed the button to activate it:

"I have a call waiting from DOD archives." Audrey looked at her father and pressed the mute button, turning to her father:

"Why would DOD archives want you, you haven't been in Defense in 2 years?"

"That's what I intend to find out. Tell them, I'll take it in my office." Heller picked up his mug of coffee and made his way out of the kitchen.

"So much for a quiet Sunday morning at home," he grumbled. Audrey smiled, and pulled the newspaper towards her.

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"Put the call through please," Heller told the operator. There was silence on the line for a moment,

"Good morning Mr. Vice President," the voice greeted.

"Good morning, whom am I speaking with?"

"_Stephenson, James. Commander, sir." _

Well Commander, what can I for you today?" Heller got down to business.

"_I'm calling you with an request for information,"_ Heller was puzzled:

"Requests for information usually can go through the current Defense Secretary."

"_Yes, normally that's true of information regarding defense. But this is for currently classified intelligence information dealing with national security." _Commander Stephenson answered. Heller was still puzzled:

"There's a lot that deals with national security, you'll have to be more specific."

"_This information deals with China, specifically rumours concerning a mind-control program being developed by their scientists, and as it concerns a time during your tenure in defense it calls for your clearance." _answered Stephenson. Heller played a hunch with his next question:

"Where did the request come from?"

"_Karen Hayes." _Heller was silent for a moment; there was no need for her to have that information unless recent intelligence indicated a possible attack by the Chinese and from his recent briefing Heller was able to discount that, so the only other reason would be if she requested it for somebody else. He decided to see where she was taking it.

"_Sir?" _Stephenson asked.

"Consider the request approved."

"_Aye, Sir." _Stephenson replied. Heller then proceeded to end the call.

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Sarah arrived home to her darkened apartment, opened the door yawning. It had been an unusually busy night at the bar, and she only wanted a hot shower, then to climb into a warm bed. She luxuriated in the hot water letting it relax her muscles, and allowed her mind to wander. She hadn't seen him all week, and although he was grown man, it concerned her.

There was an air of loneliness about him, even when he was in the bar, among a crowd of people all of whom were talking and laughing. She knew from experience that type of loneliness was dangerous; could lead to dangerous places. What made it even more dangerous, were the looks she'd see flash across his face of such sadness, and total misery that it made her wonder what could have happened to him that could make him like that. She wanted to ask, but never pressed him on it, knowing him well enough that he would never answer her. Sighing, she shut the water off, and stepped out of the shower quickly toweling off and heading into her adjoining bedroom. She put on her favourite mauve PJ's and tucking her feet into a pair of well-worn slippers made her way back to the kitchen to put the kettle on for hot chocolate. She froze in her living room, as she noticed him lounging on her sofa with his feet up.

"How did you get in here?" She demanded of the interloper

"The fire escape."

"What's wrong with the door?"

" I needed to get in unobserved." He said, thinking the answer was obvious.

"So my neighbours wouldn't see or hear you climbing up six flights of stairs on the fire escape." He let the sarcastic comment go, and stood fishing two yellow envelopes out of his pocket, and placed them on the table.

"I need to leave for a while." He informed her, without formality.

"Why?" She asked.

"Restlessness, a change of pace, and atmosphere. Why do people usually relocate?" He asked rhetorically. She narrowed her eyes at him:

"Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No." He shuttered his expression. He knew from the look on her face she didn't believe him, and carried on saying what needed to be said picking up the first envelope to give to her:

"This envelope is for you. It explains everything about why I have to leave." He picked up the second envelope:

"I want you to keep this one safe. One of three people will come looking for it; their names are: Jack Bauer, Chloe O'Brian, or Audrey Raines. When they come, give it to them without question." He put the second envelope down on the table between them. They sat regarding each other for a time, neither saying a word. He looked at his watch:

"I should go." He rose from the sofa and made his way back toward the balcony door. She grasped his hand as he passed her:

"If you need anything don't hesitate to call." He took his hand back and crossed the rest of the way across the apartment. She followed and leaned over the railing.

"Jason," he turned his head back at the sound of his name:

"Be careful." He turned his back and continued down the stairs. She watched until he was gone, then headed back inside and made her hot drink. She returned to the sofa, with her mug, and placed it on the table, and picked up the envelope with her name on it and ripped it open, taking out the multi-page letter. She settled back against the cushions, and began to read:

Dear Sarah,

I know you've suspected for quite sometime, that there's more to me than meets the eye. I know this is going to come as no shock to you, but you're right. And before you ask, the reason I'm writing this, and not saying it, is that I know you'll have questions, and to be honest I don't quite know the answers myself yet.

My name's not Jason Almont, it's Tony Almedia. I worked in Los Angeles, in a fairly unknown part of the US government called: CTU, or Counter-Terrorist Unit. I was able to fill a lot of roles there, mostly dealing with tactical analysis but sometimes functioning as a field operative. It was interesting work, which, allowed me to serve my country in a very useful way. I met two people there, who significantly impacted my life.

The first was a guy; he started out as my boss. His name is Jack Bauer, and we hit it off. He's the type of guy, that can inspire a rare type of loyalty; one that makes you willing to do anything for him- risk anything for him. And it ran both ways; he'd give you every last drop of blood if you needed it; he was trustworthy to a fault. We became best friends.

The second was a woman. I know, you're probably rolling your eyes as you read this thinking 'a woman, how typical.' But let me assure you, this was no ordinary woman. Her name was Michelle. She had long curly brown hair, and brown eyes that sparkled when she smiled. She was kind, and compassionate, but at the same time knew there was a place for both of those, and wasn't afraid to do what needed to be done. I think I loved her from the first moment I met her, and more so every second afterwards. We married just over a year after we met, and although things were rocky, we were very happy together. Jack became close friends with her as well, and in the type of work we do, close friends are important.

Around three years ago, Jack got himself into trouble, and had to disappear for a while. We, along with Chloe O'Brian helped him to arrange it; we faked his death, and Jack Bauer, as we knew him ceased to exist. My wife, and I meanwhile chose that time to leave the CTU; the work we did there was physically and emotionally draining, and it did do a number on our marriage. We started our own business, and my wife gave birth to twins: Kylla Elaine Almedia, and Jonathan Edward Almedia. We were, happy for a while; we didn't miss our old life at all and our marriage became solid again.

Anytime life starts going well things are bound to break loose. And they did, around 18 months after Jack disappeared. It was the morning of David Palmer's assassination; we'd just sent our children with my aunt to the airport to fly home to visit my family. It was a gorgeous sunny morning; I remember we were late for a morning meeting, and I'd just called her downstairs for the thousandth time. She finally came rushing downstairs, her hair flowing down her back, her jacket half-on over her shirt. She took one look at me sipping my coffee, and the television screen, and wanted to go back to CTU, and help. I argued with her; I know now that I shouldn't have- the look on her face was determined; she was doing this with our without me. She reached past me, grabbing her keys, and her purse and left the house.

As she left I picked up the phone to call our contact and tell him that Michelle wouldn't be joining us. I remember changing my mind at the last minute and canceling it. All the while, I looked out the window, and watched her, as she moved down the driveway getting out her keys and putting them in the lock. As I hung up the phone, there was a huge crash; and my wife's car was engulfed in flames. I ran out there, to find Michelle flat out on the driveway, pushed some ways from the blast. Immediately, I checked her pulse; it was there but faint. Before I could move to do anything a second bomb blew up, and knocked me out.

When I woke up, I had the feeling there was something wrong, I was in medical at CTU for starters. I pursued that feeling, and they told me that Palmer was assassinated, I had sustained head injuries in the blast outside my home and they brought me in because I was a former agent. I asked immediately after the fate of Michelle, and was stonewalled, because I sustained a serious head injury, and that knowledge could set me back. But eventually, I found out she was dead; what was off wasn't only that I was badly injured but that I had lost her.

It was all a plot, a ploy to lure our friend Jack out of hiding. Chloe, President Palmer, Michelle and myself were the only four people that knew of Jack's true whereabouts. The needless murder of my wife, Palmer, and my injuries; all of it to lure him out of hiding for what reasons I can't even begin to speculate. I was offered a job; a chance to help find my wife's killer, but as grief-stricken as I was, I couldn't function well enough to do a job. My friend Jack helped me to fake my own death and I disappeared.

I wandered for a while- working a week or two here, and there; always just enough to get by. I never made any friends, as I was always painfully aware that if I did, I could get close enough to someone to tell them who I was, and they could end up being in danger. Finally, when I arrived in Vancouver I grew tired of running, and grew tired of the isolation. I sought out the bar, as a way to be near people and not as a way to make friends; it is still that dangerous for people who know the truth. That we met, and became friends was truly unexpected, but not unwanted. You were there for me, and although I'm sure you suspected a lot, you never pressed me on it; and for that I'm grateful.

You must be hurt that I never told you any of this in person. I apologize for hurting you, and hope that in time you will forgive me.

Your friend,

Tony

Sarah put the letter down on the table and sunk back against the cushions not moving for a long time. She recalled all the times, she would catch him in unguarded moments; the haunted look to him, the deep circles under his eyes from the lack of sleep and signs of tears left unshed. Thanks to the letter, she now knew the reason, and her heart went out to him. The odd thing was, Sarah wasn't hurt. She was all too aware of the need to keep secrets, the nature of her job required that she keep them. Instead she found herself worrying about him, and hoping he found the answers he desperately sought.

She suddenly looked at her mug, and realizing it was empty rose from the sofa taking the mug to the sink. On the way back through her living room, she picked up her letter, and the 2nd envelope taking them both into her bedroom. Feeling both the weight of his secret, as well as seeing the possibility that the second envelope may have something to do with whatever was going on with him she placed both in the safe sitting on the shelf in her closet. That done, she climbed into bed, her last thoughts before falling asleep being of him.

* * *

Author's note: I know the idea of Tony writing a letter, isn't true to his character on the show. I came up with the idea of the letter because I wanted an unorthodox way of having Tony tell Sarah the truth about his identity. I tried writing a conversation but everything I wrote didn't sound right. The character's motivation behind the letter is that he was still grieving over Michelle and knew that it would be too painful to answer the questions Sarah would ask. 

That's the end of that update… Thanks for reading, and please do review.

Up next…

Check in and see how Jack is doing, maybe a little Jack/Chloe scene. It really depends on these crazy muses. ;)

Happy reading,

A.B.


	7. Rebirth: Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Whatever you don't recognize, I own.

Summary: See Chapter #1

Authors notes:

1."" Dialogue, '' thoughts

2. Italics is used for a phone conversation

3. Bold type for flashbacks

4.Spoilers Alert: The spoiler alert now includes parts of season #6

* * *

Rebirth: Chapter #7

Phillip Bauer closed his eyes, savouring the taste of his scotch at the end of his day. It was the only part of his daily routine, that he looked forward to, and if he was honest with himself the only thing that kept the demons away allowing him to sleep at night.

He started a drug company, and as this grew it spawned other ventures. He eventually grew busy enough to have his son Graem come on board full-time to run the business. Eventually, he hoped to retire, staying in a more consulting capacity. In the meantime his role included cleaning up Graem's messes.

The latest of those messes involved a nerve gas agent being developed as a possible biological weapon for military use. The blame didn't fall completely on Graem though, Phillip approved it; endorsing it fully making modifications.

Phillip was approached by Charles Logan when he was running for President. Logan had a plan to assure the country oil supremacy by constructing a pipeline from Russia through to the Black Sea. In exchange, all Phillip had to do was give a significant donation to his election campaign. His friendship with Logan, spanning a decade made it easy to believe in him; and as an added bonus it appealed to the capitalist within BXJ technologies would be on the leading edge of the oil industry. He never realized the money being given Logan was really being funnelled back into the sentox project until it was too late. After he realized it, everything he did was simply in self-denfese, and self-interest.

It was always in his best interests not to sign the peace treaty with Russia. That was what the airport attack was aimed at, and it was what the murder of David Palmer and the two agents that got too close were aimed at. He needed some friction in the area, something designed to make Charles Logan look like the hero, and put BXJ Technologies on the map. What he didn't count on was the appearance of his son, Jack.

His relationship with Jack was always turbulent. When his sons were younger he encouraged a spirit of competition between them. He figured it was normal. Jack always came out on top- he was always the cleverer, the more athletic, and the more strategic of the two of them. That kind of competition built a deep dislike on Graem's part, bordering on hatred- something Phillip did little to discourage. He also taught his boys aggression; the ability to go after something and get it; no matter which else you have to step on, and no matter what else happens. Graem learned that lesson, and practised it daily in the business operations. Jack on the other hand was aggressive, but his aggression was tempered with a sense of justice of and loyalty inherited from his mother.

Phillip took another sip of scotch. Caroline Bauer had died more than 20 years before, and he still remembered it like it happened yesterday. He'd just returned from work, to find her in the living room. Once she realized he was there, they traded pleasantries- he told about his day, she told about hers. And then she started her daily complaint that she never went anywhere, and as she was doing it, he rolled his eyes, and suddenly he snapped, and hit her. All he could ever recall of the next few moments was watching as she fell, her head hitting a chair. He coolly walked over and knelt down feeling for a pulse. There was none, and he rose, backing away from the body. He clearly remembered moving towards a table holding a decanter of scotch, and pouring himself a large one, sitting back on the sofa, sipping it gingerly and waiting for Jack to arrive home.

He didn't have to long to wait, as moments later Phillip heard the door open, and the familiar footsteps in the hall. He watched as his fair-haired son paused in the doorway taking in the scene, and moved quickly to his mother's side. His gazed turned on Phillip:

"What happened?" Jack asked the obvious question

"I found her like that. I think she took too many pills." Phillip answered. Jack knelt by his mother's body and felt for a pulse. As he straightened up, he noticed the scabbed-over gash on her left temple. He gazed at his father and hissed:

"You bastard," Jack left the room. Little did Phillip know it was the last time he would see his son for over 20 years.

Somehow he was able to keep a close watch on his son, which, he did with some pride. He watched as he rose first through the ranks of the army, and then the intelligence community. He knew about his son's friendship with David Palmer, his marriage to Teri and the birth of Kim, his only grandchild. He knew of his son's struggle with the guilt of Teri's death, and of his fight with addiction to cocaine. He knew as well, of Jack's effort to change his ways, and his affair with Audrey Raines, daughter of the Vice President.

He had raised his son to be resourceful, and a survivor. He knew that to do battle with him, he would need all of his resources at his disposal. He began by gathering all of his knowledge and placing it in a dossier. Knowledge to Phillip Bauer was power, and power was control. Control the players, and control the scheme. Control the scheme, and control the outcome. He just hoped he hadn't underestimated his son.

* * *

C.O.S. - Washington

Leanne Cummings stood looking up at the non-descript building, and looked at back down at her daybook where she'd written one name: Bill Buchanan. He was the last person on her list, and that made her uneasy. Bill was an old friend from her university days; one who to say it simply; she didn't leave with such good terms. She took a deep breath heaving open the door, entered the building. She paused at the first security desk, and told the guard standing there her name, and information. He let her pass, with nothing more than a cursory inspection of her purse. She met up with a second guard, who escorted her upstairs to the all-too familiar glass office where she sat down and watched as a woman walked over to Bill, and told him she was waiting.

She looked up, as he came in- distinguished looking as ever; a few years older, greying at the temples. His eyes were still the piercing blue she knew so well, his gaze settling on her flashed a quick look of recognition. He frowned briefly as he sat down at his desk:

"Leanne, it's been a long time."

"You married." He spotted the hard-to-miss diamond on her ring finger.

"In the process of divorcing." She answered. She just didn't have the heart to take the ring off yet.

"Yeah, I know how hard it can be." He replied. An awkward silence ensued:

"What brings you by?" He asked her getting right to the point.

"Something I've been working on. My brother Walt died a year and a half ago. At the time, we were told it was suicide. I never believed it for a second- he had everything to live for; a wife, who was pregnant with his first child, a budding career as a political operative. After a while, I did some digging and found, that got the sense that he was deeply involved something. It gave me the idea that he might have been killed." Leanne paused.

Bill narrowed his eyes: "I don't see what I can do. These are just suspicions at the moment." Leanne continued, regret colouring her tone:

"I was against him joining Logan from the start, and I was painfully honest. I didn't think he had what it took to be a good President, as a matter of fact- I felt so strongly that I began asking questions. Others in the party told me, he was weak-willed and relied extremely heavily upon his advisers. Men like that, in my experience usually follow the money; so I also began tracing the funds. Very soon, I found out he received a substantial donation from what can only be described as a shady group of investors. I've been working on it, and have recently traced it to a company owned by Phillip Bauer."

Bill was careful to keep a straight face, and showed no emotion. Phillip Bauer- Bauer wasn't a very common name; it had to be Jack's father. He let nothing of his thoughts show on his face.

"The case against Logan was open and shut. He plea-bargained for the sake of the country, and quietly resigned. He's now serving his sentence under house arrest. To re-open it would be to re-open wounds that have yet to heal, and I can't do that. Just leave it be Leanne."

A second awkward silence ensued. Leanne took her time responding, carefully appraising him.

"Cut the crap Bill, we both know that you know more than you're telling." He shrugged his shoulders non-committal.

"I always did know more than I told, it's part of my job and part of my charm really." He smiled, he always liked irritating her. He glanced at his watch.

"I have a budget meeting in 45 minutes at division, will that be all?"

"No, but it'll have to be for now." She answered, disgust evident in her tone, she rose to leave. He moved to hold the door open for her, and she walked through. He watched, as she bumped straight into Curtis jogging upstairs from the floor.

"What can I do for you Curtis?" he greeted his second-in-command.

"That intelligence report you requested from archives is here." He replied, handing over the folder. Bill glanced down at the folder, his eye caught by the note attached to the front which, said simply: 'You now owe me more than breakfast- K.' He shook his head and chuckled.

"What do you know about Phillip Bauer?" Bill asked Curtis.

"He's Jack's father. We could never actually prove anything, but his name came up several times in connection with Sentox plot."

"Was it ever mentioned in connection with Logan's name?" Bill continued questioning.

"No, it was always with the company he owned- BXJ technologies. From what I gathered it started off as a drug company, and quickly grew into other ventures." Bill nodded:

"I need you to find information on him, his company; if he's made any recent corporate donations, which his friends are. I want to know what kinds of drugs they've produced, what other divisions they've had. Cross-reference it all with Charles Logan, and Sentox." Bill explained.

Curtis nodded, and didn't question.

"I trust that I don't need to tell you, this stays strictly between us."

"I understand." Curtis replied. Bill shrugged into his suit jacket, and led the way out the door.

"I'll be at Division this afternoon, you're in charge."

Curtis nodded, and continued to his work station at the centre of the floor, and Bill left.

Bill sighed as he left the building. He knew he shouldn't believe what Leanne told him; she was a reporter after all, and one that had a history of manipulating the truth. But he couldn't dismiss her claims out of hand. Instinct told him a different story, one of desperation- and one that oddly enough made some kind of sense. He just had to find the proof to back it up.

* * *

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"**Why? I need to know why the Chinese let me go" **Kim recalled exactly what her father said, and how he said it- in a tone so desperate, and sad it nearly broke her heart. It terrified her; she was always the one to ask why, not him and she didn't know if she could be strong enough to find the answer.

It was odd for Kim, her father was always the strong one- always the indomitable one, saving the world time and again, making untold sacrifices for his country. She was always the one who would shy away from danger, push away people who loved her- the weak one. And now here she was having to be the strong one; the sane one with the courage to answer to answer the why, and she didn't know what to do.

She forced herself to think about analytically. She knew enough about her father's world to know, that people rarely did anything out of the goodness of their hearts. Often there were agendas involved, even more often counter-agendas. The question from that standpoint became not why the Chinese let her father go, but what was their agenda? What did they hope to gain, by letting a high-profile hostage; one that could prove to be a high-payoff in any negotiation go, just like that- no questions asked.

The answer to which, Kim kept returning was admittedly a far-fetched one: There was something wrong with her father. That's the only thing that could get the Chinese to give up the high-value hostage. What made it far-fetched was that his tests, and physicals all kept coming up clean- Jack was rapidly healing from his wounds suffered at the hands of his captors, but nothing know showed up anywhere. His mental state was consistent with someone recently released from capture- his inability to speak about it, was chalked up by doctors to Post-traumatic stress. Her instincts however told her differently; something was different about him, she just couldn't figure out what.

"Penny for your thoughts," she heard her dad's voice and looked up from where she sat staring out across the New York skyline.

"I saw Chase when we were in Washington." She stated. He gave her a look of understanding:

"I saw him too. He's Bill's head of field ops at DC. That must have been tough."

"You'd think it would be, but it was actually okay. We talked, he told me about Angela- she's three now, and living with him. His ex left him. He says Bill's pretty understanding about giving him time to spend with her." Kim smiled at the memory.

"I should tell him not let her date until she's fifty." Jack replied. Kim rolled her eyes, and chuckled. She glanced at the kitchen clock:

"We should go; our guests will have beaten us to the restaurant."

"Guests?" Jack looked at Kim puzzled.

"I told you- Morris and Chloe are joining us for dinner." Kim replied. She'd told him, the minute after she made the date with them 3 days before. Jack led the way down to street level. Kim's instincts flared- it was very odd of her father to forget anything about anything else in his life, much less someone he cared about as much as Chloe.

* * *

C.O.S: Westin restaurant

Chloe looked up from where she sat sipping her drink at the bar beside Morris and watched as two figures strode towards them. Morris noticing the same thing hopped off his stool and put a hand out to help Chloe- she pointedly ignored him focusing instead on Jack.

He was thinner than she remembered; he had the same sandy hair- a little longer than when she last saw him. His eyes were still the same piercing blue, the gaze of recognition falling upon her.

She reached out to embrace him, smiling:

"Jack, it's so good to see you again." They hugged briefly, and she turned to Morris:

"You remember my ex-husband Morris." Morris clasped Jack's hand.

"Yes."

"Nice to see you again mate." Morris replied, he turned back to Chloe:

"I thought I was a lot more to you than that love." Chloe groaned, rolling her eyes.

The host came and led the foursome to a quiet corner booth where they sat down and silently began looking through the menus. Chloe finally broke it:

"We never stopped searching for you. Right from the moment Audrey reported you missing we had teams on the scene searching for any clues any sign that you had been there. Mr. Buchanan gave Audrey full access to any CTU resources she might need for weeks afterwards. I worked several days straight trying to tie into anything that might point to where you were being kept, or even why. But I was able to get nowhere. Finally Mr. Buchanan had to pull us off the case, but I still never gave up hope."

Jack smiled: "I appreciate that." He knew full well, that Chloe never gave up on anything that was dear to her it was one of the many things he liked best about her.

"How did you end up in New York?"

"I got bored at CTU, it became a rather unexciting place to work without you there, and it didn't challenge me anymore. Audrey moved onto the UN, and was in the position to offer me a job, so I took it. And Morris just sort of followed me and wouldn't give up." Chloe answered.

"Any plans?" Chloe asked.

"I just want to take some time and then decide." Jack was vague. He turned to Morris:

"What is it you do?"

"I work for a computer security company, and keep my darling Chloe company," He answered. She rolled her eyes in response.

Dinner passed in comfortable conversation. Kim saw her dad acting more like his old self, laughing and talking to Chloe, and chatting to Morris. They rose to leave, and walked out together:

"It really is great to have you back Jack." Chloe softly told her friend, smiling at him genuinely.

"Thanks, I'll see you soon okay." Jack replied

"See you soon," She repeated. The foursome went their separate ways.

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Chloe and Morris began making their way back down the street towards her apartment in silence. She was elated, Jack; her best friend had survived his term in Chinese prison with few physical scars to show and that in itself was a miracle. But mentally, it was a different story. He avoided all questions about his captivity, a normal post-trauma reaction but somehow there was something more wrong going on with him, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"That guy has more lives than a cat." Morris remarked.

"Yeah, did you find something odd about him at all?" Chloe bluntly asked.

"He avoided all talk of China; but that's normal post-trauma reaction. In addition, he seemed…" Morris left off

"Unsure." Chloe added.

"Yeah, the polar opposite to the man I encountered in the warehouse 6 months ago." Morris agreed.

"Unsure was never a word I would use to describe him. He's a born leader, and improviser like no other. People always look to him to sacrifice, and make the tough choices. And he's never wavered, time and again he's left his home, his life, and friends, all for the sake of the country, and his beliefs; always sure he was making the right decision." Chloe said.

Morris reached over placing an arm around Chloe's shoulders:

"I know you're worried love, but all we can do is watch, and wait." Despite herself Chloe was comforted by the gesture:

"You know I'm not good at it." Morris smiled his response, and sighed:

"I'll nose around through back channels and see what I can come up with under the radar."

Chloe nodded. She was rather hoping he'd offer. She wasn't exactly in the position to do it with her job at the U.N.

* * *

Here ends Chapter #7-

You know what to do; read and review if you want more.

-A.B.


	8. Rebirth: Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the television show 24.

Summary: See Chapter #1

Authors notes:

1. I have the rest of this roughly planned out, although no timeline on actual updates

2. "" Dialogue, '' thoughts

3. 888: Character Change

4.Bold print is used for a flashback, Italics for a phone conversation

* * *

Rebirth: Chapter #8

"You're fired," Audrey put all of her frustration, and anger in those two simple words. After she said them, she watched the woman calmly walk back through the open doorway of her office. She then turned her desk chair around closing her eyes.

Audrey felt at war with herself. The rational part of her; the one that was winning so far realized that pushing him into a relationship would push him away from her. The more passionate side of her, the one beginning to reawaken wanted nothing more than to be with him. This part of her was dormant while he was gone, allowing her to get through the days on autopilot. She went to work, because that's what people expected of her; she put on a happy face because that's what was expected of her. Her work was always done to its usual standard of excellence, and her office run like clockwork- because that's what was expected of her. She always took pride in such accomplishments, but they suddenly didn't matter. Nothing mattered as much to her, without him around.

"What happened?" Audrey didn't even turn her chair around, she knew the speaker, and could feel the all-too familiar gaze through the back of her chair. She knew he meant well, and for an instant hated him for it.

"She wasn't doing her job, so I fired her." Audrey answered, keeping her tone neutral. She knew without looking that his gaze was becoming more speculative- he'd figured out something was wrong.

"It's more than that." He stated.

She wanted to scream that it was him, his presence. She wanted to tell him that when he was gone nothing mattered, and now he was back, she was in danger of falling back in love with him, only deeper than before. Instead she said:

"The firing leaves an opening on my staff. It's yours if you're interested." She turned, and regarded him for a moment; she usually could tell with amazing accuracy what he was thinking by a simple glance- she was the only one that could. Today she couldn't, and she found it odd, and a little disconcerting.

"It would be the same work you did for my father at D.O.D. We both know there are few better at it." She could read enough of his expression to tell he was thinking about it. She noticed him appraising the office:

"Yes." He smiled at her. She smiled back at him:

"Report here tomorrow at 9 am for your security clearance and HR papers."

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Jack backtracked from Audrey's office to the elevators where he was to meet Chloe for lunch. A job was the last thing he expected; he didn't even know if he wanted to work in the intelligence community.

It wasn't unwelcome though. In fact, it was quite the opposite; he felt ready for a challenge. He'd grown tired of spending his days aimlessly wandering the galleries, and streets of New York or watching mind-numbing daytime television. The fact it was for Audrey gave him comfort; as if he'd come full circle. It also gave him reason to hope because he truly wanted a relationship with her.

"When do you start?" Chloe asked walking up beside him. He reached and pressed the button for the elevator:

"Tomorrow at 9am." Jack answered.

"Her office door was open, we could hear every word," she quickly explained. They rode the elevator to the street level, and exited into afternoon sunlight.

"Do you work long hours?" He asked, wanting to get a feel for the office.

"No, Audrey likes to keep us to an 8 hour day. It's a nice change from CTU." Chloe responded.

"What about her?" He asked. Chloe was silent, knowing where her friend was going, and wanting to attempt to head him off at the pass:

"She works longer hours than anyone else. Her job is demanding, and so the longer hours are often needed."

Conversation between the pair ceased, as they ordered their food from the outdoor vendor and made their way into a nearby park where they sat on a bench in shaded grove.

"What happened to you in China?" Chloe asked breaking the silence. Jack blinked out of his reverie.

"You've read the reports of how the Chinese treat their prisoners Chloe," Jack gruffly responded. He noticed the hurt look on her face, and took a deep breath:

"I'm sorry Chloe."

"It's okay Jack, I probably shouldn't have asked." She offered a small smile.

"What happened here while I was gone?" He asked, his voice resuming its normal tone.

"Wayne Palmer got the Presidency, and made Heller Vice-President," She began and paused as she caught a half-smile.

"You want to know about Audrey. Jack, don't do this to yourself. The important thing is that you're back, and you survived." He cut her off grasping her shoulders for emphasis:

"Chloe, I need to know."

Chloe took a deep breath:

"It broke her. When we found out you were alive, she started believing in a relationship with you, in a future with you. And then you were taken by the Chinese. She searched high, and low for you, using all kinds of back channels and contacts in the intelligence community. She even contemplated physically going to China to look for you, but thought the better of it when her father was named Vice President- the daughter of the second most powerful man on the planet being a prime kidnapping target.

After a month in Los Angeles, she moved on. She said the city reminded her too much of you, too many memories. She took the job in New York, and six weeks later offered me a job, so I left Los Angeles too."

Chloe paused to take a couple bites of her hot dog, and observed Jack for a moment. He had a pained look on his face, as if recoiling from a physical blow. It made her reluctant to continue, but she knew that even if she changed the subject it would eventually get back to Audrey.

"She's sad Jack. She puts on a brave face, laughs and occasionally jokes, but underneath it all, she's sad. When nobody's watching, I'd catch her in an unguarded moment; there'd be this look of sadness mixed with fear. I've grown to know her well enough to realize those were the moments she was thinking of you."

They were silent again. Chloe again broke the silence, placing her hands on his shoulders forcing him to look at her:

"I know you're feeling like it's all your fault she felt like that. It's not; we all have different reactions to different situations, and you can't control how she dealt with it. What you need to remember is you've got a third chance with a woman you love; most men are lucky to get a second chance."

Jack looked at her and marvelled at how well she knew him, and also realized she was right. He stood up, and led the way first to the garbage cans, and they walked in companionable silence back to the UN building housing the offices used by the USA.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Chloe said.

"See you tomorrow." Jack responded, and walked off.

C.O.S: Morris' Office

Morris looked at his watch for the hundredth time; 1 pm EDT, meant it was nearing 8 pm in London. He rose from his desk, grabbing a scrambler to attach to his cell phone walked out of his office. Once at street level he briefly glanced over his shoulder and seeing nobody was following him dialled a familiar number:

"_Phillips," _a voice answered on the 3rd ring

"Chris, it's Morris." He responded

"_O'brian. I was just thinking about the money you owed me."_

"Actually, I remember it the other way around- you owe me money." Morris was careful to put the emphasis on the owing him money part.

"Listen, how about if instead of asking you for the money you owe me, I ask you for a favour?" He could picture his friend rolling his eyes.

"_I'm listening" _Chris replied, sceptically.

"What do you know of a Chinese program of mind control?" Morris bluntly asked.

"_I know it was rumoured to be up and running 2.5 years ago. Although, nothing was ever proven rumblings persist that it is running, and is successful." _Chris responded

"How does it work?"

"_It usually works through hypnosis. The patient is hypnotized, and suggestions or key words are implanted in the subconscious. They remember nothing when they wake up."_

"And if the patient resists the hypnosis?"

"_In some cases a light narcotic is used to relax the patient into trance. Why are you asking so many questions?"_

"And now we come to the favour part of my phone call." Morris deflected the question.

"I'd like you to find out if there is any more to these rumblings and rumours. If there is, I'd like to know when it started, and if it's finished, or ongoing."

"_You do realize that my obtaining this information borders on espionage, and I could go to jail- get charged with treason possibly even die for this favour?"_

"I prefer to think of it as 'information sharing' between agencies. But yes I do realize that."

"_Okay, I'll do it if you promise me a pint next time I'm in NYC, and if I am in jail, write to me everyday."_ Chris answered, imagining the smirk on Morris' face.

"Thank you. You're the best mate."

"_You know it." _The two friends hung up the phone. Morris glanced at his watch, and realized he'd been gone 15 minutes- it was time to get back to work.

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Bill Buchanan sat back in his chair at CTU, and ran his hand tiredly through his hair. Charles Logan's name was all over Phillip Bauer's file- their personal relationship lasted throughout the better part of two decades. Bill knew that someone with a relationship like that, could offer valuable insights into Phillip Bauer, but balanced against Logan's deeds it would mean opening up wounds that weren't yet healed, and Buchanan didn't think he was ready for that. He sighed- he struggled with it all day, and finally realized he didn't have a choice- he had to bring Logan in. He picked up the phone and used the intercom:

"I need the number for Charles Logan's Ranch."

"Right away Mr. Buchanan." His assistant answered. He leaned back in his chair, still trying to justify calling the man that so severely damaged the presidency. He saw it as the only way short of bringing Jack back in for questioning, and Jack he got the distinct feeling was in rougher shape than Logan was. His intercom buzzed, and the assistant gave out the phone number, which, he wrote down. He stared at it for a long moment before dialling. An agent answered the phone, and put him straight through.

"_Bill, what can I do for you today?"_

Bill got straight to the point:

"I've got an ongoing case involving an old friend of yours, and I was hoping you could shed some light on it for us."

"_You're asking me about Phillip Bauer aren't you?"_ Charles replied.

"Yes sir, I am." Bill confirmed, he briefly wondered how Logan caught on so quickly, without a name being mentioned. He heard a small chuckle:

"_It wasn't hard to guess, he's one of the few friends I have left."_ Charles answered the unasked question. He continued:

"_If I can help right past wrongs in any way I will do it."_

Bill sighed thankful Logan was perceptive enough to realize what he had to ask him.

"I'll send a chopper with a couple of my agents as an escort tomorrow at 9 am."

"_Thanks, Bill. I'll see you tomorrow." _Logan responded. The two men hung up the phone.

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Charles Logan rose from his seat and began pacing the length of the room. His gut instinct told him everything; all his misdeeds, the loss of Marty all led to this impending meeting. He saw it as his ultimate chance at redemption.

Redemption was really all he wanted. His time under house arrest had given him time to think, to realize the full consequences of his actions. He'd gained perspective, coming to the conclusion that while he thought he was acting in the best interests of the country, he was actually acting in his own best interests, and his own vanity. And it lost him the only thing that truly mattered to him: Marty.

He didn't blame her for turning away from him, or despising his actions. There were days when he despised himself. Although he felt their divorce just punishment, he still mourned for their lost relationship. Because after all that happened, he still loved her.

Love, Friendship, and Redemption. They were all linked in his mind; to regain her love, he had to betray his friendship with Phillip Bauer. And in his mind, the only thing that could complete his redemption was her love. Logan re-took his seat; there was no doubt he would do what needed to be done as he always had…

* * *

Here ends Chapter #8…

I couldn't resist adding Logan to the mix- I loved his character on the show.

You know what to do if you want more…

-A.B.


	9. Rebirth: Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I only own the storyline, and one original character.

1. Summary: See Chapter #1

2. Author's notes:

3."" Dialogue, '' thoughts

4.C.O.S. means change of scenery

5. Italics is used in the case of a phone conversation, bold print is used for a flashback

6. 888888888 is used for change of character's point of view.

Rebirth: Chapter #9

Tony looked warily around the open square out front of the Eaton Centre. He'd made his way by easy stages east, reverting to his previous state of mysterious drifter. He'd chosen Toronto because of the people figuring it would be easy to blend in a city of 3 million plus all of different nationalities. While he did find it easy to blend in, he also found it increasingly lonely, as if his friendship with the bartender in Vancouver answered some unspoken need for human companionship.

Toronto, besides being a great place to blend in, was he thought as well a great place to lose a tail. The tail he'd discovered somewhere just south of Winnipeg, and then quickly lost them in the wilderness of northern Ontario, or so he thought. Somehow the tail picked him up, and followed him to the provincial capital, the evidence of which came to him in a note that morning, simply saying: 'Dundas Square, 11 pm. Come alone, come unarmed.' He checked his watch, which, read: 10:55 pm. He turned another 360 degree circle: over his left shoulder was the permanent band shell, used people told him for summer concerts, when he faced north was the major dividing line of the city: Younge St. Its glittering lights still brightly shone from stores long closed for the evening. He knew south of there was the theater district. He took in the mall directly behind him- its lights still shining, and people still walking and out of it despite the late hour. He was well aware that it was connected to both a series of tunnels, filled with shops and the city's transit system. He looked up trying to gauge if there were any unseen shadows on rooftops, and finding none he continued his circle. Satisfied he faced his original direction.

"I was wondering when you would turn back around." A voice commented. Tony attempted to discern any kind of shape to the shadows created by a tree in front of him.

"Step out where I can see you." Tony demanded. The shadow dislodged itself and a look of immediate recognition combined with horror. Tony reached out and pinned him up against the tree.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill you right now" Tony growled.

"Other than the fact you'll spend 25 years rotting in a Canadian jail. Your cover or true identity as an American intelligence agent would eventually come out, and people more powerful than myself will be looking to kill to you. And this time they'll be sure to finish the job." Henderson answered. Tony let go of his hold on him, and he sputtered and coughed.

Anger flamed anew in Tony, and he turned around and started walking away.

"You want your life back don't you?" Henderson called out. It forced Tony to stop, and he turned back towards Henderson expectantly:

"Hard as this might be for you to believe, but I need your help. The deal I offer you is this: If you help me, I will turn myself over for the murders of David Palmer, and your wife."

Tony thought for a moment- his chance at justice was at hand. Justice is all Michelle would have wanted for her death, that someone would pay some kind of price for it. It could also be a set-up, Henderson manipulating him for whoever his master of this moment happened to be. For the first time he took in the other man's appearance, it was disheveled to say the least. His hair was messy and unkempt, with the beginnings of a grey-streaked beard. His eyes had deep circles under them, indicating he hadn't slept well. His clothing was wrinkled, as if he slept in it. At this point if Tony were to judge, Henderson was telling the truth. He did need help.

He nodded his agreement, adding:

"If this turns out to be any kind of set up, I will kill you." Tony left no doubt in the cold glare he shot Henderson.

"Fair enough." Henderson replied.

"What's the situation?" Tony asked, wanting to get to the point.

"I'll tell you, but we need to go somewhere more private. I know this all-night coffee shop just down that way." Henderson led the way east along Dundas for a few blocks, then entered the coffee shop. The place had few tables to speak of, and Henderson slipped into a booth in the back corner near an exit.

"Okay, now what is this about?" Tony asks

"About 3 years ago there were rumours the Chinese had a mind-manipulation program. They would hypnotize a victim, and while unconscious they would plant suggestions. Those that refused were weakened to the point of near death, and while unconscious they would be fed a mind-weakening drug and the suggestions implanted. We archived the reports, which, by now means they're likely collecting dust somewhere in Washington. I retired from CTU later that same year. I free-lanced for a while handling security for various companies. One of them was BXJ technologies, owned by Phillip Bauer. He wanted me to arrange security protocols for the pharmaceuticals division of his company. It was over the course of my work, that I discovered not only were the rumours concerning the Chinese were true, but the drug used in the program was manufactured by BXJ.

I took what I found to Phillip, and tried to blackmail him with it. The only problem was, he had found the ultimate tool to use against me: my own guilt concerning Jack, he'd always blamed me for luring Jack away from the family business. The guilt, and the money, were the two reasons I helped him." Henderson paused to take a breath

"Money always helps ease any unwanted burdens." Tony bitterly commented.

"After finishing out my contract with BXJ, I moved on taking the information I found with me. I hoped it would come in handy, I was wrong. He knew I had it, only this time instead of guilt or money he used the threat of busting me for industrial espionage. When I took the position at McClelland Forester he was able to blackmail me into doing anything for him; I stole the schematics for the suitcase nukes, set up meetings with old contacts of mine at State. And to spice it up, to bring it full circle, he threatened to do what I supposedly did to him: take away my son." Henderson paused again, in order to gauge what reaction his words were getting.

"That doesn't exactly answer the question of why you need my help, or why you deserve it." Tony coldly remarked sitting back silent waiting for the answer.

"I still have the information I gathered. It's safe, I assure you. And it happens to be information you will likely need, because Jack Bauer was taken prisoner by the Chinese the day after you disappeared and mysteriously freed approximately 2 weeks ago." Henderson responded, noticing the skeptical look on Tony's face he added:

"Rest assured Almedia, I wouldn't be asking you of all people to help me if it wasn't life or death. Bauer is willing to kill to keep this information private, he has killed to keep it private."

Understanding dawned on Tony:

"Michelle insisted for weeks before she died there was something off about you. She kept telling me you were hiding something, something big. Eventually, she said she had proof of it- she was going to show it to me the day she died. Was that the reason she died?"

"No. The one thing you, Michelle, David Palmer, and Chloe O'Brian had in common was Jack; you all knew his location. The one thing I know for certain about Jack is that loyalty is a core value for him. If his friends were in any kind of trouble, he would go through the fires of hell to help them. Harming his friends was the only thing that would bring him out of hiding- it's all Phillip wanted." Tony kept his expression blank, and Henderson took that as a sign to continue:

"It was a business transaction. I just had a series of addresses, and orders to arrange accidents. I never realized it was you two, until the bomb went off that day."

Tony could no longer stay silent, giving full reign to his anger:

"You call destroying my life a business transaction. You killed my wife; you left my kids without a mother. You tried to kill me twice; a good friend once, and successfully murdered one of the best Presidents in American history. You reduced me to living a half-life under an assumed name in a foreign country where my only means of surviving is day labour, and everyday I have to worry about my cover being blown. And after you've done all this to me you still have the gaul to ask me for help."

It was Henderson's turn to shutter his expression. He knew he'd face resistance and anger from Tony, and was prepared for it. He knew the man well enough to sense an inborn sense of justice, and loyalty exactly like Jack's, so he played on it:

"Your wife's death deserves justice, and I know you'd love to be the one to give that to her. Help me stay alive, and you get your justice. It's really that simple."

Tony didn't like the idea of getting into bed with a murderer, but realized he had no choice; you do what you've got to do. He rose from the table:

"Fine, you've got a deal."

"I'll keep in touch." Henderson replied, following him to the door. Tony had already disappeared into the night.

* * *

C.O.S: Washington

Chase Edmunds let his mind wander stood waiting on the helipad of CTU Washington. There was a time when all he could think about was how Kim pushed him away, how she isolated herself from him, and Angela when Jack died. He took a large part of the blame for that, and even after leaving Los Angeles and moving the other side of the country from her, he still persisted blaming himself. But as time went on, and he absorbed himself in raising Angela, and making a home for them in Washington he thought of her less and less. And when he did, it was of the happier times they spent together; the dinner's they had together, stolen moments in their days at CTU.

Seeing her was bittersweet. He could sense a new self-confidence about her, a new maturity, and yet somehow underneath the surface was the same Kim he knew and loved. He held no more anger towards her, just sadness and regret. One of his biggest regrets was not waiting for her; he saw her destroying her life, and couldn't stay to watch her, so he walked away.

When he met up with her, he sensed a second chance could be in the offing, and that was rare in life. Up in Curtis' office that morning, he'd made a connection with her. He handed her his card, and she smiled letting him in just that tiny bit, confiding in him about her father. He hadn't seen Jack like the others, so had only her word for it, which, was good enough for him. He believed her, because of the desperation in her voice as she told him of trying to find a way to reach out to him; of seeing things in him that were out of character for Jack. He looked up, as the door to the office building opened, and Curtis walked out onto the helipad.

"Ready to leave Agent Edmunds?" Curtis greeted him.

"Yeah." Chase gazed past his superior.

"It's just going to be you and I on this one, Bill wants it kept extremely low-key and off the radar." Curtis explained. Chase nodded, still slightly puzzled. All he was told was that they were to pick up an informant. Curtis noted the puzzled look on his face, and handed him the dossier. Chase opened it and flipped through it, giving a low whistle of surprise.

"Why does Bill want information on Phillip Bauer?" Chase asked.

"There's a case ongoing that Bauer is involved in, and before we bring him in, Bill wants background on him. Charles Logan and him have a relationship spanning more than a decade. Bill feels that Logan can offer valuable insights into the man."

"Even though that may be true, shouldn't Jack be let in on this? Chase replied

"Bill wants to be absolutely certain before he brings this to Jack." Curtis explained. Chase was silent, accepting the answer, and realizing he would get nothing more from Curtis.

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Bill Buchanan checked his watched, which said 10 am. Time enough for his agents to take the 30-minute flight to Logan's ranch, take him into CTU's official custody, and begin the flight back to CTU. He expected to be facing some tough questions about his antics, and was pleasantly surprised that none had come so far. Ideally, he would like to pull this off without anybody knowing and never having to face those though questions; realistically though he knew that they were either about to be asked, or would be asked- very soon. And he knew that nothing short of the truth would satisfy.

"Buchanan," He answered the phone gruffly.

"Sir, Karen Hayes is here to see you."

"Let her in." He replied, turning off the intercom. His interrogator had arrived; he stood up, straightening his suit jacket and tie looking down on the office. He watched as she strode purposefully across the floor and up the stairs. He stood leaning against his desk affecting a calm pose. He looked up as the door opened.

"What the hell are you hiding Bill?"

"Hello to you too. Would you like any refreshments?"

"What the hell are you hiding?" Karen repeated.

"I'm working on a case." Bill replied.

"For what case is it necessary to remove Charles Logan from custody without proper permissions?"

"A case involving Phillip Bauer. They have a relationship spanning more than a decade, and we figured that he could offer some valuable insights into the man before we brought him in for questioning." Bill answered, keeping his face blank.

Karen narrowed her eyes at him, trying to gauge whether or not he was lying to her. His words did have a ring of truth, and logic to them, but her gut instinct told her there was definitely something more to it.

"Would this case have anything to do with a certain intelligence report that I managed to get for you?" She quietly asked him. He finally decided to share with her the whole theory:

"I think that the rumoured Chinese mind-control program is real, and has been running for sometime. The way it works is through hypnosis being used on the patients, and while unconscious they would plant suggestions in the patient's mind. The stronger people; the ones resistant to hypnosis would be weakened to the point of near death, drugged unconscious, have their minds weakened then have the suggestions implanted. When they wake up, they don't know what happened. What we think, or what I believe is that Jack was one of those drugged patients."

Karen sighed:

"I was afraid it might turn out to be something like that. It's logical- it fits almost too well. But what does Phillip Bauer have to do with anything? He and Jack have been estranged for more than 20 years."

"Before expanding into defense weaponry, BXJ technologies specialized in psychiatric drugs. At the moment, it appears as if he's the one who has been supplying the Chinese with the necessary narcotics."

She thought for a moment:

"Bill I don't like how this feels. Jack's an ex-intelligence agent, who began his career in army intelligence. He's trained in the use of countless weapons, and in countless interrogation methods. We both know of his willingness to use unorthodox measures to get his job done- what he did to Logan last year, not to mention killing Nina Myers. Under the circumstances he's among the more dangerous weapons the Chinese could have used against us. Is there any way you could have him brought in?"

"That's the problem. It's a theory, no proof has been found yet. And even if on the off chance we do find something to use, you know as well as I do that proof may come too late to do anything. Besides that, I can't arrest an innocent man."

"You're right. I guess all that's left is to wait, keep working it up and see what Bauer does." Karen responded. There was an uneasy silence; Bill reached out and put his hand comfortingly on her shoulder:

"I don't like the thought of it any more than you do."

Karen smiled at the gesture:

"I think I can buy you some more time with the White House, but it will be limited. It would help if I'd be allowed to witness the questioning."

They were interrupted by the telephone beep:

"Agents Manning and Edmunds have returned with the prisoner."

"Tell them to bring him to interrogation room #1."

"Yes sir." The intercom clicked off.

"Come with me." Karen followed Bill to the interrogation room in silence.

* * *

**I'm holding the interrogation scene with Logan hostage for a while. To free it, you need to review**

-A.B.


	10. Rebirth: Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with 24. The storyline, and anything not recognized however is mine.

Summary: See Chapter #1

Author's notes:

1."" Dialogue, '' Thoughts

2.Italics indicate a phone conversation

3.Bold indicates a flashback

4.888888 indicates a change in character point of view

5.C.O.S. Change of Scenery

6.Spoiler Alert: Season #5, and now all of season #6.

* * *

Rebirth: Chapter #10

Jack paused in the doorway of Audrey's office and drank in the sight. She was just sitting, staring contemplatively out the window; he wondered if she was thinking of him, and their relationship. He watched her profile as her facial expressions changed, going through the whole range: one moment serious and thoughtful, the next more playful, with just a hint of a smile and still a final look of resolute determination. He marveled at her, as he realized how much he missed the expressiveness of her face.

"You can come in Jack." She told him, as she turned her chair around.

"Reporting as requested Ms. Raines." Jack replied stepping close to her desk.

"Call me Audrey please." Audrey said, Jack locked gazes with her, and noted that just for an instant there was a hint of vulnerability in her eyes, then just as suddenly it disappeared.

"Would you like coffee or anything?" She asked.

"No, I'm fine."

"I'll show you around then." Audrey suggested. Jack nodded; shocked at the awkward turn the conversation was taking. She led him out into an open space with five cubicles in it, and offices running off of it.

"Here's where all the assistants have their desks. Yours has the one in the far corner closest to your office. You know where my office is, down there is the Ambassador's office, and directly opposite to yours is Chloe's office." Jack nodded his understanding.

"We're all pretty friendly, and professional." Audrey added

"I would expect nothing less Audrey." Jack commented. They were silent.

"Because the U.N. is in effect located on American soil, one of the major functions of the American delegation here is to continuously update the security arrangements, and threat assessments. The last time this was done was three months ago."

"It'll be my top priority." Jack replied. Audrey smiled her approval leading the way back to her office. They reentered the office, Audrey taking her place behind the desk, and Jack standing mutely waiting for further instructions.

"I'll let you go, and settle in now. All the HR paperwork is on your desk waiting for you." Jack turned to leave pausing in the doorway. He didn't want to leave things so awkward between them:

"Audrey," he began. Audrey looked at him near tears:

"Don't Jack. It's not your fault. There wasn't a day when I didn't think about you. Not a night when I didn't dream about you- most often nightmares that would waken me with the fear that you were dead. There wasn't a moment when I didn't wonder what could have happened between us had you not disappeared. I spent a lot of time while you were gone blaming myself; wondering if I was quick enough to enter the building I could have stopped you from being kidnapped."

Before Jack realized it he had gently shut the office door and crossed behind the desk. In a series of gestures that were too familiar to him he helped her to sit down on the floor with her back against the wall, put an arm comfortingly around her and began stroking her hair while making gentle shushing noises. After a few moments he gently raised her chin to look at him:

"I'm not going anywhere Audrey." He felt her relax in his arms. She continued eye contact with him, and her tone serious:

"I want a relationship with you. But I want to take it slow, ease back into it. He held her gaze:

"Take it slow, ease back into it. I can work with that. Does that mean I'm going to have to ask your father for permission to date you?" Jack quipped. Audrey chuckled:

"No."

"Are you free for dinner after work?" Jack asked. Audrey smiled:

"Yes, I believe I am." Jack nodded:

"6 o'clock?"

"Sounds great, I'll see you then." Audrey continued smiling. The pair rose from where they sat, straightening their wardrobe:

"Now if you'll excuse me, my slave-driver of a boss expects me to be working. So I'll see you later" Jack joked. It caused Audreyto laugh; he winked and left the office with a smile on his face.

* * *

C.O.S: Washington

Graem looked at the pile of papers on his desk. The one at the top was clearly labeled: Divorce papers; he looked further searching and finding her signature in all the right places. They were couriered over 3 days before, and he hadn't signed them yet. He didn't want his one victory over Jack, to turn into his biggest failure.

He realized from an early age that his father set him and Jack up in competition; Phillip Bauer always supported one son over the other, and his choice varied based on the situation, or his mood. Usually, whether or not he supported Jack most times he'd be the victor. It built in Graem resentment, as a young child, that as the two grew up, became a bitter hatred. Although, Graem realized that after all was said in done he was the victor. He got the corner office, and the reins of the family company, and Jack got… a thankless job saving the country. That knowledge wasn't enough for him, in victory Graem had to have total domination or it was no victory. He glanced at the divorce papers again, and recalled the first time he saw her:

**Jack opened the front door for Leanne and she entered preceding him into the living room. Graem had his feet up on the coffee table, and was enjoying his evening scotch, a habit he'd picked up from his father. His first thought upon seeing her was that she was semi-attractive. Shoulder-length dark hair framed her face, which, was dominated by a set of dark eyes with a spark of both intelligence and when she smiled mischief.**

**He remembered eyeing her during dinner, watching her every move, and reaction to every remark. He knew that ordinarily the most she would merit from him was a second glance, and he'd think 'she's pretty, but she's not my type' then he'd move on with his life. But suddenly he found her drop dead gorgeous, her appeal increased by the fact that she was with Jack**.

**Time went on, and Graem witnessed the growing closeness between Leanne and his brother, to the point that Jack was seriously considering marriage. That was until their mother died, and he disappeared without a word to anyone. Leanne was devastated she couldn't understand why he had disappeared without a word to her. Graem stepped into the role of sympathizing confidant and played the proverbial shoulder to cry on. He was charming, sincere, tender and loving. Quickly, they found themselves in love, and before either of them realized what was happening they were married.**

Ambition was the constant theme in Graem's life. He was driven by it to the point where it isolated him. That isolation was tempered by the fact he could look at his success and realize that he was the best, and could not be beaten. His all -consuming ambition led him into dark places, allying him with dark people and caused him to do things that if not illegal were pushing the boundaries of it. He never regretted it, because at every step it made him better, the best; and that was enough for him. At least he thought it was enough, the reality was of course not what he wanted.

**They'd fallen out of love. It happened so slowly that neither noticed it; he'd noticed her withdrawing into herself, and instead of pushing her to share with him he let her go. She'd come back to him out of comfort when her brother died, but was still withdrawn. She'd been investigating her brother's death, convinced it wasn't a suicide; that somebody had him murdered for how much he knew about the Sentox plot. He thought he had done enough to throw her off his scent, but still she wouldn't give up. Eventually, she found out the truth.**

**He'd returned home after a late evening at work. The first sign that something was wrong was the luggage sitting in the front hall; he looked first at it, and then at Leanne frozen on the stairs.**

**"You killed him." She simply stated. He stood there, not even daring to deny it and bracing himself for an onslaught. He recalled her going on about how he was a bright young man with a family and great future ahead of him.**

**He justified Walt's death as necessary. He knew too much, and was just powerful enough to make a statement, but not powerful enough to be missed.**

He didn't regret killing Walt then, and he still didn't. As always Graem did what was best for Graem, and nobody else. He glanced again at the divorce papers, and shuffled them to the bottom of the pile, still not ready to admit defeat.

* * *

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Leanne swiveled her head around the lounge and looked at her watch again. He was late; that was nothing new, Phillip Bauer was habitually late, a habit Leanne figured he used to make others uncomfortable. It didn't work with her; with her it was more of an annoyance, which was increasingly pissing her off. She again looked at her watch- barely 10 minutes had past since she last looked at it- and he was still late. She grabbed her jacked off her chair and rose, leaving a 10-dollar bill at her table.

"Leanne," She calmly looked up at the sound of her name.

"I thought we had a meeting." Phillip stated.

"Yeah, well we did, 20 minutes ago." Leanne smirked

"Sit down, you'll want to hear what I have to say." He forcefully replied, motioning to her abandoned booth. She sat down, and looked up in unabashed curiosity. He was silent for a moment. She was content to play his game for a few minutes, instinctively knowing that whatever it was he had to tell her, it was good. Finally she grew fed up with him:

"Why did you kill Walt?"

Her blunt question caught him off guard, and the shock of it showed briefly in his face.

"He was collateral damage, a fall guy. We couldn't let Charles Logan take the fall, he was too important and it would harm the country. Walt was just high enough to take the blame, but he wasn't Logan." She looked at him, barely masking the disgust she felt.

"Why Sentox?" She asked, continuing her blunt line of questioning.

"I had a chance to put BXJ technologies at the forefront of a pipeline from Russia to the Black Sea. For it to work, I needed there to be instability in the region, and America to be the one to clean it up. It was capitalism, nothing more."

"That is an awfully strange form of capitalism you practice, the last time I checked it never included murder- merely the pursuit of profit." She commented. She paused, then played a hunch:

"Is Graem still in charge of the company?"

"Yes."

"Did he have anything to do with Jack's disappearance?" She followed up, catching him off-guard again. This time he recoiled from the question as if he was physically hit.

"No, why?"

"Jack was the agent who broke the case against Logan- he was on every newscast for at least three days. I just wondered if Graem's well-known jealousy of his brother drove him to make his brother disappear." Leanne answered, carefully watching for any change in Phillip's expression. He showed no change.

"Exactly how much control do you have of my ex-husband?"

"I have enough. I'm still a consultant at the company- he runs every major decision by me. And I also have people watching him so that any move deemed questionable is passed along to me." She nodded approvingly. She got up and left, as she brushed by Phillip he grasped her arm forcing her to lock gazes with him:

"If I hear any of this was repeated to anybody within the intelligence community, I'll know about it. And as you know I can make your life very difficult." She grabbed back her arm; her expression betraying nothing of her startled feelings and left the lounge. Phillip then signaled a waiter to bring him another scotch.

C.O.S: New York-

Jack looked at the address written on the sheet of memo paper, then back up at the building before him. He glanced at his watch, and sighed: ten minutes early, then entered. It was always good to be early, he thought to himself as he pressed the button for the elevator, and nervously shifted his stance as he waited for it to arrive. He took a deep breath, and sighed; he knew he shouldn't be nervous- it was Audrey, his Audrey, they'd dated before. It was old hat for them, or should be old hat for them. And that's why he was nervous; because he knew that the moment he saw her everything he felt for her would come rushing back to him. And then, that clean start both wanted, and both longed for would be nothing.

Jack stepped off the elevator and onto her floor, looking at his memo sheet again Apt # 446, he turned right and followed the plush carpeting nearly to the very end of the hallway where a door with brass numbers announced her apartment. As he raised his hand to knock he noticed light streaming through the door, so he pushed, suddenly edgy, he was able to get in. His instincts raised, he stealthily crept into her living room; furnished with a plush forest green sofa, and matching chairs. A glass coffee table, with matching end tables and fireplace completed the homey feel.

He froze at the mantelpiece, noticing a picture of them sitting there. It was a shot of a candid moment at some fundraiser they'd attended they hadn't even known the photographer was taking it. He noticed the love in her eyes, the smile on her face as she'd just laughed at something he said. He noticed the look on his face: intense. He remembered he couldn't stop looking at her that night; she was dressed in a navy blue form fitting cocktail-length dress, with silver jewelry. He thought she was the most beautiful woman in the room, and told her so several times. He wanted more than anything to have more moments like that.

"Jack, is that you?" Her voice echoed down the hall to him.

"Yes it's me." He called back to her.

"You let yourself in, good. Make yourself comfortable I'll be out in a few minutes. Help yourself to a drink out of the fridge, I'm afraid I don't have much selection." She replied. He looked awkwardly around briefly conflicted about what to do before making his way into the kitchen. Her appliances were platinum, giving the space a modern feel, he noticed the breakfast bar at the point where the kitchen met living room. There were no pots and pans hanging up anywhere, or other clutter associated with cooking. It suggested either she didn't cook, or wasn't home enough to cook, something brought on by the long hours of her job, or the fact she simply didn't want to eat alone.

Jack thought it was the latter; the crazy hours of her job often made it impossible to leave work with enough energy to cook a proper meal. He didn't blame her for it; there were many nights when he would simply fall into bed after work. It also told him, she hadn't found anyone else yet; that particular realization shocked him into realizing the truth; she truly hadn't found anyone else.

"Jack," he looked up, jarred from his reverie by the sound of her voice. She was standing near the archway into the living room.

"They're beautiful." She smiled indicating the dozen red roses lying on the breakfast bar. He watched her move towards them, gingerly picking them up and placing them in a vase half-full of water.

"Anywhere in particular you would like to go for dinner, I know this great place over on west 22nd."

"That sounds good. I hadn't thought that far ahead to tell the truth." He smiled; she led the way to the door picking up her keys and purse. They made their way to the front door of the building and hailed a cab, and rode the few blocks to the restaurant in silence. They stepped from the cab onto the sidewalk, and Audrey laid a hand on Jack's shoulder forcing him to stop before heading in. He turned to face her:

"We can't do this," she began her voice shaky. He looked at her puzzled as she took a deep breath steadied herself:

"We can't pretend the past never happened. I was wrong to even want to try. The past is what we went through, broke us apart, and brought us back together. It's gone now, but we can't forget it. All that matters, is you're here, alive with me. And that's the way it should be. I wouldn't have it any other way." He looked at her, his hand stroking the side of her face, noting the way she closed her eyes to savour it with a smile.

"You're beautiful." He said placing a kiss on the top of her head. She opened her eyes, and smiled:

"We should go in."

They linked arms, and walked through the door of the restaurant- both happy to be a regular couple for once.

* * *

Author's note: The bulk of this story has been written without knowledge of any spoilers concerning season #7.

-A.B.


	11. Rebirth: Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with 24.

Summary: see Chapter #1

Author's notes: 1. ""Dialogue, '' thoughts

2. _Italics is used for a phone conversation_

3. **Bold is used for a flashback**

4. 8888 is used to change a character's point of view

5. Change of Scenery: C.O.S.

Spoilers: The Spoiler alert now includes all of season #6, as well as 5.

* * *

Rebirth Chapter: #11

It was a warm, starlit evening as Jack and Audrey exited the restaurant. He raised a hand as if to hail a cab, and she stopped him by taking it saying: "Let's walk." They turned, and began walking away from the restaurant in comfortable silence.

"We've never done this before." Audrey remarked.

"What walked places together?" Jack teasingly responded.

"Enjoyed the smaller moments like this. We fell for each other so fast, and the environment was so intense that we never got the chance to just be a couple." Audrey replied. His face grew serious:

"We took it for granted we had time to do that." In an instant she realized where he was going with it, and cut him off:

"We didn't know Jack. You have got to stop holding yourself responsible for what happened, it's not healthy. You didn't know you would be taken prisoner, and forced into hiding. We had no control over the events happening around us; they were bigger than us. In order for us to move forward, it's important to leave the past in the past. We've found our way back to each other, and as far as I'm concerned, that means something."

They stopped moving, and were facing each other. She reached a hand up in a familiar gesture and stroked the side of his face. He caught it in both of his gazing intensely into her eyes moving his other hand to the other side of her face. She knew what came next, and closed her eyes awaiting the feeling of his lips on hers. She wasn't disappointed, and instead of turning away like a tiny voice inside her told her to, she deepened the kiss. The voice inside her grew more insistent and after a few blissful moments she broke the kiss, and looked up: They had made their way back to her apartment building.

"Did you want to come up?" She asked, after taking a moment to catch her breath.

"No, I should be getting home. Work in the morning, the boss likes it best when I'm wide awake." He joked.

"Yeah. I have that meeting with the Chinese delegation. Would you sit in?" She asked, immediately aware of his likely answer. She noticed him taking a deep breath to consider it.

"Okay." Jack replied. She observed him grow noticeably tense.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She responded. He leaned in and kissed her a second time.

"Keep it up, and I may not give you a choice about coming up to my apartment next time."

"Always leave them wanting more." Jack replied, and chuckled. She started towards the front door, and he stood waiting to make sure she entered safely. She walked through the door and turned to him waving, with a beatific smile on her face.

On the way to the elevator she looked at her watch, which, read 11 pm. She sighed: time always stood still when she was with Jack.

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A meeting with the Chinese: Jack still wasn't sure how he felt about that. He kept turning it over in his head as he walked to work; on the one hand, it would be good to get it over with- he knew if he stayed in this business he would eventually have to meet with the Chinese it would be better to have it over with sooner rather than later. On the other hand though, he wasn't sure he was ready for this. He would have to meet with h is captors, the ones that beat him daily, the people that starved him. The thought of meeting with them now; when memories of his imprisonment so fresh in his mind filled him with anger. But he would do it, because he told her he would. And Jack Bauer never went back on a promise.

He opened the door to his office putting the lights on before entering. Immediately he noticed a manila-covered folder, clearly labeled: briefing notes. He sits down at the desk and stares at it. He knows he's not ready to look at it, to pay the attention due a briefing package of this magnitude, but he will. Taking a deep breath Jack opened the folder. On the first page was a list of personnel attending the meeting listed in order of importance from the Ambassador on down.

The third name on the list caught his eye: Lee Cheng. Jack glanced at the picture, and was suddenly transported back to that cargo ship; he involuntarily shuddered at the painful memory as he relived each punch to his stomach, and kick to his legs. Oddly, he found he wasn't angry, he just felt nothing towards him- straight neutrality. He continued with the notes, scanning the list of issues to be discussed- nothing unusual there. Items included a planned meeting between the Chinese, and American Delegations when they came to the general assembly later in the month, and a few other housekeeping issues; nothing too out of the ordinary. He flipped back to the list of attending personnel, again looking at the picture of Cheng. There was one burning question he wanted to ask Cheng: Why?

"Come in," he absently called in response to the knock. He looked up to see Audrey standing before him with a concerned look on her face.

"I see you got the briefing package." She stated.

"Yes, I was just looking through it now." He responded.

"Look Jack, it was wrong of me to even ask you to this meeting today. If you want to back out of it…"

He cut her off:

"If I'm to stay in this line of work, I would eventually have to meet with the Chinese anyway, and it's better to have it done now, than later." Her look told him she was unconvinced:

He reassuringly smiled: "I'll be fine. Really."

"We'll be meeting with them in the conference room on the 3rd floor. I'll come get you on our way down."

"Okay, see you later." He smiled at her and watched as she left the room.

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Audrey went back to her office and quietly sat down at her desk, where she glanced through her briefing package, still uneasy about Jack's reaction. On the one hand, he was right, it was best to get that first awkward meeting over. On the other hand there was still something… uncertain about him. He was fine, his injuries nearly completely healed. It was his mood swings that made him uncertain; she remembered the night before when she first asked him about meeting the Chinese; he readily agreed to it and was comfortable with it. But she also noticed him physically tense up, and that made her wonder if he wasn't ready. She saw the determined look in his eyes and had no doubt that now he had said yes; he would carry through on everything he said. That determination did nothing to erase the uneasiness she felt.

She rose from her desk, and strode the length of her office and opened a cabinet. Then, she tugged out a lockbox, and took it back to her desk; she reached for the key in a compartment of her drawer and opened it, taking out the cell phone and placing it on her desk. She stared at it; she knew she shouldn't even consider calling him. It wouldn't be safe for him, or for his kids. But she was starting to feel as if she didn't have a choice; her instincts told her there was something wrong with Jack, and he might be the only way to find out what it was. Audrey pressed the contacts button, and brought up the only entry listed: Tony Almedia. Audrey paused staring at the send button she would call it, but only as a last resort. The remainder of the morning, and early afternoon went according to routine, with Jack never far from her mind.

She left her office at 2:45, knocking on Jack's door, and awaiting the rest of the group. He opened the door, and joined her in the hall still looking visibly tense.

"Jack, if you don't want…" her tone was understanding.

"No Audrey, I have to do this.." he stopped taken aback at the sharpness of his own voice.

"I need to do this." He finished, his tone turning desperate. She nodded:

"If at any time you feel you need to leave, do so." He nodded in response.

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They walked into the room, taking their seats ahead of the Chinese. Audrey took a place beside Jack, and gave him what she hoped was a look of encouragement.

"It won't be more than an hour, two at the most. It's just routine business," she reassured him.

"I need to do this Audrey," he replied, his voice sharp. She nodded reaching for his hand, which, he pulled away, staring straight ahead.

"I need to do this," Jack quietly repeated to himself.

Audrey sat back in her seat, silent watching him in profile his lips silently moving. His uncertainty resurfaced, and in that instant she realized how wrong it was of her to even ask him to do this; he wasn't ready- she knew he wasn't, and on some level he must have known it too. She should have insisted he back out of the meeting, ordered him to back out. But it just came so naturally to ask him to take a meeting like this, he'd done it before when her father was Secretary of Defense.

The door to the conference room opened and they stood in expectation of their guests. The Chinese delegation entered, and exchanged pleasantries with the Americans. Cheng before taking his seat across from Audrey made it a point to seek Jack out:

"Mr. Bauer, I hear you've had a recent experience with my country, I do hope it was a pleasant one."

Jack saw no point in lying: "It wasn't. I was a guest in Shanghai prison for 6 months, and only recently released." Cheng nodded, and continued:

"You worked for CTU at one point did you not?" Jack nodded confirmation. Cheng narrowed his eyes in concentration:

"When we first arrived, you seem very familiar to me, Mr. Bauer and now I know why. I was in the consulate that night you led the assault on it. You paid a small price for that in your visit to the prison in Shanghai, but it was not high enough. You see, Mr. Bauer I, like a lot of my people have a very long memory."

Audrey was watching the whole exchange between Cheng, and Jack. She noticed his expression change from resolute calm to intense anger, and now it was totally shuttered from her. Jack stood up:

"I think I'd better leave. I'll see you later." He addressed Audrey, and left the room.

* * *

C.O.S- Washington

Curtis exited the interrogation room, greeted by expectant looks from his superiors. He made eye contact with both of them, and began:

"He's told us everything he knows. There's no reason to believe he's not telling the truth." Bill looked skeptically at his subordinate and glanced at Logan still seated at the table. He noted the defeated posture- Logan was slouched, his hands meekly folded on the table, and a trapped look in his eyes.

"At this point, I'm inclined to believe you. He's lost everything, the First Lady, the Presidency, his livelihood. He's a prisoner in his own home. A man in his position has no reason not to tell the truth." Bill yawned, before continuing: "Take him back to the Ranch." Curtis nodded, and left the room to prepare to carry out his orders.

"I don't like how this feels Bill. He gave up Bauer too easily, and there was something desperate about him. He may be playing us."

Bill took a deep breath, making direct eye contact with her:

"Curtis is right, he has nothing to lose. You saw him, as well as I did. He was weak, beaten- a shell of his former self. Admittedly, I am a cynical man, but when he spoke about redemption, about wanting to redeem himself I believed him. Redemption is something we all want in this business, and credit should be given to those brave enough to seek it."

Karen was silent, at this point she didn't want to admit he had a point about redemption, and Logan had conviction. Redemption was something she wanted, she'd given many orders she was sure led to people's death, so to know that she was forgiven, to have those deaths lifted from her conscience would be the most liberating thing for her. Instead of giving voice to these thoughts she favoured Bill with a weak smile:

"Suppose you're right, what do we do now?"

"We bring Phillip in." Bill answered.

* * *

C.O.S- flight back to Logan's Ranch

Chase Edumnds sat back, eyeing Charles Logan. What had gone through the man's mind, he wondered as Logan plotted with the others; what was the reason for what he did? Was it greed? Was it for his country? Was it for glory or power? Ultimately Chase was smart enough to realize people will never truly know Logan's motivations. And the likelihood was they wouldn't want to.

"It was legacy. I wanted to be remembered for something other than being weak-willed. I wanted my story told. That was why. And now I regret it." Logan answered the unspoken question, and then spoke again:

"Everyone wants to be remembered for something Agent Edmunds, there's nothing more human than that." Chase nodded his response.

"We're landing in 10 minutes." Curtis informed them. Logan mutely nodded, and was silent until they arrived at the ranch, when as they were leaving he made direct eye contact:

"Tell Jack I'm sorry." Curtis knowingly nodded.

* * *

That ends this update. Read and review, I look forward to hearing what you think.

I'm going to be slow in updating for a while, because I'm busy with school.

-A.B.


	12. Rebirth: Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything associated with 24, if I did I would have brought it back

Summary: See chapter #1

Author's notes:

1. The majority of this is written before anything about season #7 ever came out. Spoiler followers know what I'm talking about

2. "" Dialogue, '' thoughts

3._ Italics are used for a phone conversation_

4.**bolded print is used in the case of flashback**

**5. **888888888888888- change of character

Spoiler alert: Seasons: #5, and 6

* * *

Rebirth: Chapter #12

"Put it on my desk, and I'll take care of it this afternoon." Chloe instructed a co-worker.

"Good work on the new security grid Chloe. Maybe you could show me how you did that sometime." A second co-worker congratulated her.

"No. And thanks I'm just doing my job- it really was easy." She replied, smiling with the knowledge that she is the best.

She started up at the sound of the elevator door opening to see Audrey looking shaken step off and move quickly past her into her office closing the door. Chloe paused a moment questioning whether she should follow, for comfort's sake or give Audrey some time alone. She finally decided to follow, smiling to herself that her friendship with Audrey Raines had progressed that far. She made her way across the hall and raised her hand to knock.

"Come in Chloe." Chloe pushed the door open and awkwardly stood in front of the desk. She was silent for a while, waiting for the other woman to speak.

"He walked out Chloe." The hurt and self-blame Audrey felt came out in that statement.

"He faced Cheng, then he walked out. Cheng told him China has long memories. He was cold, heartless and knew exactly what buttons to push on Jack. And I, I made him go there. I asked him to take the meeting, and he said yes. He wasn't ready- I should have seen that, I should have known that. " She slumped into her desk chair, her energy spent on the rant.

Chloe was hesitant to respond, sensing there was more coming, and stayed silent. She didn't know how to respond without risking the other woman's anger. The fact was Jack would do anything, risk anything for Audrey- she could lay claim to being one of the small group of people he would do that for.

"He always had trouble saying no to you. So it's not your fault. He did it because he was stubborn enough to think he was ready to face his demons despite having practically just walked out of a Chinese prison. " Chloe replied. Audrey favoured her with a hint of a smile. There was another awkward silence, and it stretched neither knowing what to say.

Chloe kept shifting her eyes from the desk, to the window to the floor in front of her and back to Audrey. Indecision was written on her face and in her posture, something Audrey picked up on when she spoke:

"Is there anything else Chloe?"

Chloe was silent for a moment still deciding whether or not to tell her. In the end she decided it was time her and Morris got some kind of official backing- especially if the worst about Jack ended up being true. She took a deep breath:

"Morris and I discovered evidence that the Chinese have a mind control program in operation. We think they've been beating prisoners to the point of unconsciousness, drugging them, and then implanting suggestions. We think Jack is one of these prisoners."

Audrey let the explanation drift into silence and considered it. It would possibly be the only explanation for his odd behavior. He'd been acting too normal, which, convinced Audrey that he was getting over his prison experience but at the same time unnerving her. He appeared to come out of it all mentally unscathed, and she knew it should be different- it should have affected him.

"How did you come by this intelligence?" She asked Chloe.

"MI-5. Morris has a friend there." Audrey ignored the answer, not wanting to deal with the possible ramifications.

"Leave it with me." She nodded, her face showing no expression. Chloe still awkwardly stood there as if waiting to be dismissed.

"Is there anything else?" Audrey asked.

"No." Chloe answered

"Then get back to work. I may need your help later." Chloe left the office silently shutting the door.

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Audrey waited until the door was completely closed before moving toward the vault hidden in the closet at the back of her office. She pulled the hidden cell-phone out and made her way out of the building and down the street. Finally she arrived at her destination, a bench in a virtually deserted corner of the park. She sat down pulling the phone from her pocket and staring at it.

She knew she would only get one chance at this, calling him more than once would put them both in danger because a second call would be traced. She still wasn't sure if she should call him, but the intel Chloe gathered plus the way Jack was behaving- it made too much sense. She dialed the only number in the phone and waited for someone to answer.

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He picked up the phone on the second ring:

"Hello." There was silence on the other end. He was silent, comfortable with who it was; one of the only two numbers in the contacts section.

"_Tony?"_ a female voice asked, a hint of uncertainty.

"Yeah." He responded.

"_I need your help." _The statement was uttered matter-of-factly, with no emotion behind it. Tony knew the woman well enough to know that there was emotion behind it, boiling just below the surface.

"What do you need Audrey?" He asked.

"_Jack escaped from a Chinese prison a couple of weeks ago. We think he was the victim of a mind-control program the Chinese have been operating."_

"What else?" He asked prompting her.

"_He's acting.. normal. Like his imprisonment didn't affect him- it was just another mission- true a little longer than the rest. He seems over it. But there's something not right; he's Jack, but somehow he's not Jack." _

"I'm on the next plane to New York. Sit tight and I'll find you." He instructed Audrey.

"_Thank you Tony." _Audrey responded, her voice grateful.

Tony made his decision when he first went on the run: he would come out of hiding whenever Jack needed him, and wherever Jack needed him. He knew full well that he would be putting himself in danger. At this point he didn't really care.

He quickly packed his duffel bag, locked his apartment and left, slipping an envelope of rent money under his landlord's door and left.

C.O.S.: New York-

Tony arrived at the park near the U.N. buildings as the afternoon sun turned the western horizon pink. He chose a bench positioned near the park entrance among some trees, so that he could see who came and went but they weren't able to see him. As he waited, he ran a hand over his face realizing there was some stubble. It slightly annoyed him, but realized he could use it to his advantage as a disguise.

After what seemed like hours of waiting he spotted Audrey. He rose from his perch and stumbled toward her.

"Spare some change, ma'am"? he slurred. Audrey made eye contact, and her expression flickered with recognition. She played along:

"No change, but I'll buy you a meal." He stumbled up against her, and she slipped a note. He waited for a few moments as she passed before glancing at the address. He recognized it as a diner he'd passed on the way to the park, and moved back blending into the deepening shadows of evening.

He followed her to the diner and waited for a time across the street, still playing the role of a homeless man. He was suddenly unsure he wanted to meet her; it meant no going back on the run, it meant facing his past, and his future without Michelle. It also meant justice for Michelle; and that was vitally important to him.

At last he slipped into the diner and the back booth where she waited for him.

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Audrey watched as Tony walked toward her and sat down. It'd been over a year since she'd last seen him, and she noticed he'd grown thinner, and he had a five o'clock shadow on his face. He slipped into the booth and she examined him closer. He looked older. Around his eyes were worry lines and they showed none of the usual defiance. His lips were set in a grim line. Gone was any hint of a smile that always showed on his face.

"I'm so sorry about Michelle. I never got to say that to you at the time." Audrey began by giving voice to her sentiment. She winced realizing it was an empty thing to say; it wouldn't bring Michelle back. She still felt it needed to be said. He showed no response to it.

"You still haven't heard from Jack?" He asked brushing her statement aside.

"No. He walked out of the meeting, and nobody's seen him since." Audrey replied.

"Kim…" Tony asked, unsure if Jack and Kim were still on bad terms.

"Is living here in New York. Jack is staying with her. I don't think he would have gone there, he's too upset." She explained.

"What about Chloe?"

"I don't think he'd go there." She replied. She continued, picking up on the Chloe angle:

"Chloe and Morris have found proof of the mind control program. Morris got in touch with someone at MI-5, and the Chinese have been running it for at the least a couple of years."

"I've found proof too. Christopher Henderson had me tailed for a while and caught up with me. He had a folder with him, and an interesting story. After leaving CTU he worked for Phillip Bauer's company on development of the drug that the Chinese used. When his contract with the company finished, he took that information with him. Bauer threatened to have him busted for corporate espionage, and to take away his son." Tony let his explanation drift into silence. She was about to prompt him for more information when he spoke:

"Audrey: He's the one who killed Michelle." She pushed aside his emotional admission

"Was he telling the truth about the Chinese?" Audrey asked. Tony shrugged his shoulders:

"Yes. He may have been lying but he's desperate. He had nothing to lose, like all of us." They were silent as their food came and they began eating. Finally Audrey spoke:

"You must want him dead." He looked at her with a tortured look in his eyes:

"Yes. But she wouldn't want that. Instead I made a deal: I save his life, and he turns himself in for Michelle's and David Palmer's murder."

Audrey gave him a smile of grim satisfaction. She put her hand on his in a comforting gesture. He awkwardly shifted the conversation back to what brought him to New York.

"The only choice with Jack is to wait him out and see what he does."

"That's what makes it annoying: the helplessness of it." Audrey replied.

"I'll see what more I can find out, and contact you in a few days." Tony suggested

"Okay." She agreed.

"Thanks for the meal Ms." He stammered. He rose and stumbled out of the restaurant.

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Jack looked at the man he held by the throat and blinked. He had no idea how he got there, or why he was trying to strangle this man. He only knew he had to do it for some unknown reason. The man looked back at him just as confused as he was.

"Th-Thank you. I'll tell you anything you want to know. I swear." He stammered, grateful to still be living. The only trouble was Jack didn't know where to begin.

* * *

Well that ends another installment. Sorry it took so long, and I hope the wait was worth it

If you want more, read and review

-A.B.


	13. Rebirth: Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with 24

Summary: See Chapter #1

Author's notes:

1. ""= Dialogue ''= thoughts

_2. Italics are used for a phone conversation_

**3. Bolded print is used for a flashback**

4. 888888888888888= Change of Character

5. C.O.S= Change of Scenery

6. Spoiler Alert: Seasons #5, and 6

* * *

Rebirth: Chapter #13

"Where's Graem?" Leanne's voice, full of anger and frustration echoed through the hallways of BXJ

"He's not in." The receptionist replied sighing. It was the same thing she'd been trying to tell her for the last 15 minutes.

"Then you don't mind if I have a look around. It'll ease my mind knowing the weasel isn't playing games with me." Leanne backed her words by defiantly passing the front desk towards the double glass doors.

"You can't go in there. It's being cleaned."

Leanne glared at the receptionist and pushed open the doors entering the hallway of offices. She was intent on reaching her soon-to-be ex's office but became distracted by the sound of voices coming from another office drew her towards it.

"I'll tell you anything I swear." A frightened voice stammered. She saw the man crumpled against a wall with Jack standing in front of him. Jack looked at the man with a blank look. Leanne sensed something off and announced her own entrance:

"Jack Bauer. I haven't seen you in years." She smiled at him holding out her hand to help the man up from the ground. Grateful to be rescued, he took it.

"There's nothing wrong Mrs. Bauer I was just about to help Agent Bauer find the information he needed.

"I see. Well I can take that task over if you wanted to get back to work. I'm sure my husband is a demanding boss." The man quickly left the office. Leanne turned to Jack:

"We should follow his example. Follow me." Leanne led the way back out to reception:

"You should be glad I insisted on going in, I caught this man attempting to compromise the company's computers. I just saved your ass." Her tone implied she fully expected a future favour in exchange.

They entered the elevator and rode some distance in silence.

"You're probably thinking I settled for second best. And I did. I just didn't see that until now. We had you in common- we both missed you. And that was enough to carry though at the beginning, and gradually it turned into love. And then Walt died and I was convinced that he didn't commit suicide so I investigated. I finally learned the truth: Graem killed him to cover up the sentox plot. My no good screw up husband was a screw up murderer too. "

She paused waiting for a response. When none came she looked at him and noticed his eyes staring glassy straight ahead. She snapped her fingers to get his attention:

"Jack? Are you with me?" She reached over and shook his shoulders in an effort to get his attention. It worked, and he blinked.

"Le-Leanne?" He stammered. She greeted him with a smile:

"Yeah. I'm here."

Jack turned to face her:

"What am I doing here?" She looked at him shocked. She chuckled; he was playing dumb. Naturally if he was in the family offices physically threatening someone there had to be a good reason.

"Investigating your brother for stealing me away from you?" She answered expecting a laugh. He didn't even chuckle.

"I came to see Graem about our divorce. The woman at the desk stalled me for sometime saying he wasn't in. Finally I entered the hallway. At the point I heard fighting noises and checked it out. This systems guy who works here was slumped against the wall. You were standing above him, looking like you were about to finish him off. I stepped in, sent him back to work, and steered you out the door." She watched for any sign this was sinking in.

"You don't know what you're doing here? What about how you got here?" She fired the questions moving into reporter mode.

Jack focused his eyes and tried to concentrate for a moment before answering. In a flash he saw Cheng, and Audrey. He remembered leaving the meeting and the United Nations. But from that point to this it was a blank to him. They exited the building into the evening air and faced each other:

"You really don't remember do you?"

"No." Jack answered. Leanne made eye contact with him. It confirmed he was serious.

"You'll figure it out. I know you. You won't stop until you do."

He gave her a shadow of a smile in response.

"I should go." She reached into her pocket for a business card and slipped into his hand:

"If you need anything, call. My cell number is on the back. Give my love to Kim." He gratefully took it and nodded. She stood outside the building watching after him for a while, wondering what happened to him.

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Tony watched the whole display from across the street. He noticed his friend walking away defeated, and imagined his confusion. He wanted to go after him, but in order to help him he had to have more information. He followed Leanne home.

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The streets were silent as Leanne paused on a street corner looking around. Ever since leaving Jack outside the BXJ building she had the feeling she was being followed. And still there was nobody around. She casually glanced at the store window in front of her- the closest person was just over a block behind her. It was a man- tall broad shouldered with a five o-clock shadow on his face. She dismissed him as a lost homeless person and kept walking, and thinking about Jack.

He was a more tragic figure than she remembered, with lines around eyes and a set jaw. She could see the toll the years took on him. There was a brutality that told of a hard life and sadness that told of loss. But somehow even after seeing the scene in the offices, she knew that the Jack she'd fallen in love with was still in there.

He used to be so self-confident, and sure of himself. She remembered he was always in control, and she found the fact that apparently he wasn't unsettling. It set off her reporter's instincts- there was a story there. What was an American hero doing at his estranged family's company looking like he was about to beat some computer technician to death? It didn't add up. There was more to it, she just had to figure out what.

She paused before the door to her apartment building, and rummaged for her keys. Grabbing them she made her way through the door, the homeless man entering behind her.

Hearing the footsteps she turned. 'He might be cute if he bothered to shave, and wear a suit.' She thought to herself.

"Can I help you with anything?" She asked, silently willing him to leave. He glanced nervously around at the obvious camera on the wall near the elevators. He reached out and grasped Leanne's arm surprising her.

"I need to talk to you about a mutual friend." She shook off his grasp and turned away pushing the elevator call button. When it came they stepped onto it. He took her silence as agreement.

At last she opened her apartment door and motioned for him to sit on the sofa, while she threw her keys down onto the kitchen table. She briefly glanced at her knife drawer briefly wondering if its contents would be needed then moved to a chair opposite the couch. Leanne's curiosity was getting the better of her; this man didn't move like a homeless person, didn't act like one:

"Who are you, and why did you follow me?" He cleared his throat:

"Agent Tony Almedia. I worked with Jack at CTU."

Almedia. Almedia. The name sounded familiar. She narrowed her eyes at him:

"Didn't you die shortly after the Sentox affair?"

"My wife died." He answered. She gave him a sympathetic look:

"I'm sorry." Tony gave her a grim smile:

"Now about Jack…"

"I went to the offices housing BXJ hoping to find Graem- who I'm in the process of trying to divorce. I made my way into the offices and heard an argument going on, so I checked it out. I entered the office to find a computer technician slumped against the wall whimpering that he'll do anything Jack wants, and Jack standing over him looking like he wants to beat the poor man to a bloody pulp. I sent the poor man on his way and steered Jack back down to the sidewalk, which is where I'm guessing you began watching." Leanne explained

"Was there anything unusual about him?"

"I didn't leave out the part where I saw him looking like he was going to beat the man to bloody pulp did I?" She answered.

Tony sighed- if she was going to be sarcastic it was going to be a long night.

"Behaviorally. Any moments where he was completely spaced out?" He amended the earlier question.

"He was non-responsive in the elevator. He stood next to me, and just stared. I had to snap my fingers in order to get him out of it. And then he asked me what he was doing there. I honestly believe he had no idea." Leanne shivered at the memory.

"What's going on?" She asked. Tony chose his words carefully:

"We think that while Jack was in a Chinese prison he was the victim of a mind-control program where the Chinese would drug their victim to the point of unconsciousness and implant suggestions. The drug we suspect was made by BXJ, and it looks like those suggestions have been activated."

Leanne was silent considering the consequences of those actions. Jack Bauer: A human weapon.

"I still have some contacts and credibility with the company, including Phillip. I'm more than willing to help in any way I can."

Tony rose from place on the couch and started towards the door which, Leanne opened:

"I'll be in touch." He pulled his ball cap down, and his hood up completely obscuring his face and left.

* * *

Washington-

Bill stood folding his arms and watching the interrogation, or staring contest in front of him. The only words Phillip Bauer uttered were that he would answer no questions without his lawyer. Since then he was quiet, staring straight ahead while Curtis made periodic attempts to question. He sighed wondering again at the point of bringing him in.

"Let him go." Bill informed his agent, his tone annoyed. Curtis looked at him quizzically.

"We're not getting anywhere. It was likely a waste of time to bring him here in the first place." Curtis allowed his frustration to show on his face:

"What if we tracked him? He may lead us to somebody that can tell us about the company."

Bill thought for a moment. Karen Hayes would hit the roof if she knew about this. Tracking a private citizen without his knowledge violated multiple laws including the constitutional right to privacy. On the other hand, this was the only angle to a practically unsolvable case.

"I want you to take personal responsibility for running it.

"Yes sir." Curtis left the room to make the arrangements.

* * *

C.O.S.: New York

"Go ahead, make my day." Chloe repeated in unison with the movie causing Morris to chuckle.

She pouted: "It's the best line of the whole movie."

"One of the best in movie history." Morris agreed.

A loud knock interrupted the rest of the movie.

"Chloe." Jack's voice called out insistent.

"I'm coming." She opened the door. Jack pushed past her into the kitchen.

"I think…" He started then corrected himself: "I need your help. I don't remember this afternoon." Hearing Jack's entry and his panicked announcement, Morris entered the kitchen. An awkward silence ensued as they exchanged looks. At last he nodded.

"We think you may be a victim of a Chinese mind control program. They beat their victims to a point of unconsciousness and implant suggestions, as well as code words. Those who don't willingly submit are drugged." Chloe hurriedly explained.

He took it all in, and was silent for a time.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Morris asked.

"Meeting with the Chinese delegates at the United Nations with Audrey. I remember her offering me a chance to back off but I wouldn't. Then we walked in, and Cheng was sitting across the table from me. The next thing I remember was leaving BXJ offices with Leanne Cummings." Jack answered leaning forward tiredly rubbing his face.

He looked up at Chloe comprehending the full concept.

"The perfect weapon. US army and intelligence trained with a spotless record." Chloe put it into words that earned a 'you're not helping' look from Morris.

It caused Jack to weakly smile:

"What's next?"

_

* * *

__That's it for this update…_

_Review, and _

_Don't forget about the 2-hr prequel television movie Sunday on Fox- check local listings._

_-AB _


	14. Rebirth: Chapter 14

Disclaimer: If I owned 24 I would be a very rich woman. But I don't, so I'm not.

Summary: See Chapter #1

Authors notes: 1. The bulk of this story was written before any spoilers were known about season #7

2. ""=Dialogue, ''= thoughts

3. 888888888= change of character

4. C.O.S: Change of Scenery

_5. Italics: Phone conversation_

**: flashbacks**

Spoiler Alert: Seasons #5, 6.

* * *

Rebirth: Chapter #14

Kim stared at the blank screen. She hadn't been able to concentrate on her work all morning. Her thoughts wandered to her father and what exactly was happening with him. He'd returned to the apartment the evening before dazed and not speaking. She didn't press him, instead filling the silence with events of her day. He nodded in acknowledgement- he'd followed her story. But he didn't return the conversation. She could tell he was troubled, but as always the question was: why?

The phone rang as if in response to her question, and she answered:

"Kim Bauer."

"_Kim. It's Grandpa." _Phillip greeted his granddaughter. Alarm bells went off in her head. She hadn't had contact with Phillip for her entire adult life. The last time she'd heard from him was on her 9th birthday, the last time she'd seen him was her 13th. He hadn't bothered sending a card when her mom died, hadn't bothered when her dad disappeared. What did he want?

"_Kim are you still there?" the voice asked. _Kim gulped:

"Yeah. I'm here. How are you?" Even though she was suspicious, there was no reason to be impolite.

"_I'm good. Listen I'm in town and I was wondering if we could meet. I haven't kept good tabs on my favourite granddaughter like I wanted." _Phillip replied.

Kim thought before answering. Instinct told her he wanted something; maybe she could use it to her advantage and name her conditions. It would be a public place. She kept her voice calm:

"There's this diner across the street from the north entrance to Central Park- meet me there at 1 o'clock."

C.O.S: Washington

Curtis entered Bill's office as he finished a phone call. "We have a hit on Phillip Bauer." Bill nodded for Curtis to continue:

"He's in New York. He's just made contact with Kim Bauer." Bill sighed.

"Continue keeping tabs on him, and let me know if anything changes."

Curtis turned to leave, Bill's hand stopping him:

"If Agent Edmunds feels the need to take some time off let him." Curtis read between the lines, and nodding he left.

* * *

C.O.S: New York

On the relatively short walk from her office, Kim felt like she was being watched. She varied her route in order to lose her tail, but it didn't work. Instead she arrived minutes late, and took a seat at the back of the diner. Her grandfather hadn't arrived- a usual tactic of his, meant to intimidate. She looked around the diner, spotting the couples meeting for lunch or people just hanging out. Nobody looked suspicious, but she still couldn't shake the feeling there was somebody watching her. She closed her eyes telling herself to relax- it was just her over-active imagination.

"Kimberly." The sound of her full name brought her back to the present. She opened her eyes, locking gazes with her grandfather. He was the only one who ever used her full name when she wasn't in trouble.

"Have you ordered yet?" He asked.

"No. I just got here," she calmly responded. She took her time appraising him; there was nothing similar to her father- other than a vague resemblance in eye colour. She knew he was doing the same.

They sipped coffee in uneasy silence. It was a battle of wills: Kim knew he wanted something from her, but was stubborn enough to make him tell her instead of asking. And she knew he wanted her to ask, and would manipulate her interest. She glanced at her watch counting 10 minutes until the end of her lunch hour and finally broke down:

"What do you want?" She infused her question with cold disgust. He put down his coffee cup and sat back allowing the silence to stretch. Kim went a step further grabbing her purse in preparation to leave. He looked at her with a desperate gaze:

"I need your help."

Kim narrowed her eyes:

"With what?"

"There's a situation I find myself in, that's out of my control. It's your Uncle Graem; he wants to kick me off the board of directors. He tells me I'm too old. I'm not able to make the right decisions for the company. This company is all I have, and I need your shares to stop him." The look of self-pity was added for effect.

She looked away in thought. Her BXJ shares were put in trust until she was 25. She'd never been interested in the business so she left them alone. Despite her disinterest, she wouldn't be manipulated into doing what he wanted. Her eyes flashed defiance:

"Give me a day consider it."

He saw determination written on her face and nodded. She glanced again at her watch:

"Now if you'll excuse me I have to get back to work." She left without waiting for an answer.

Kim's anger relaxed into an irritating sense of curiosity and frustration by the time she reached the office. Thinking about it logically, her father's imprisonment was a highly classified matter and unless he had any contact with her, Phillip shouldn't know about it. His long absence from her life made the grab for her shares suspicious. She didn't buy the unfit for his role story he told her- was certain it was meant to manipulate her.

It was possible Phillip didn't do anything and that he was being manipulated. The more likely possibility was if she gave Phillip her shares, she'd end up caught in a power struggle.

She idly fingered a card in her pocket. Taking it out she read Chase's contact information and remembered their meeting in Washington. Reaching for her cell-phone she called the number:

"_This is Chase."_

"It's Kim.

"_Just a second" _he glanced around to be sure he wasn't watched too closely. _"Go Ahead."_

" I have a problem. My grandfather showed up, and wants my shares in BXJ. He says Graem is trying to force him out because he's old, weak, and can't make decisions in the interest of the company. Chase, I think there's more to it. I don't know what, but there could be an internal struggle going on inside the company. Or, it could have something to do with my father."

There was silence on the line. Kim could hear voices on Chase's end of the conversation and wondered where he was.

"_I'm on my way. I'll see you in a few hours."_ Chase finally said.

The next sound Kim heard was a click as the call ended.

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Chloe knocked once and entered Audrey's office shutting the door behind her. Noting the other woman was on the phone she first sat in the chair opposite the desk. As the call went on, Chloe rose from her seat and began pacing.

"I'm going to have to call you back." Audrey told the caller. She hung up the phone, and looked expectantly at Chloe.

"He knows." Chloe said as she took her seat. Audrey appeared momentarily puzzled. Chloe took it as a sign to continue relating what happened with Jack the previous evening.

Audrey contemplated the next step. She forced herself to look at the positive. Jack had some idea of what was happening and that fact alone meant he wasn't helpless. But he was a former intelligence operative involved with an unknown plot, and until they knew about it they were operating blind. She sighed:

"We've got to call the authorities, make this a legitimate operation."

"Jack trusts us." Chloe's expression grew defiant. Audrey raised her tone decisive:

"Jack now poses a national security risk. We need the resources to investigate it, and we can't do that under the radar."

"But when CTU finds out we've been keeping this from them…" Chloe replied worried about the consequences.

"All that matters is Jack get the help he needs." Audrey replied. She knew better than to play all her cards. She decided to keep Tony under the radar choosing not to share his presence with Chloe.

Chloe nodded her agreement.

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Kim left her office relaxed, and began walking in the general direction of her apartment. She was silent staring straight ahead, as she felt someone fall into step beside her. Knowing it was Chase she didn't offer any outward sign of recognition. Neither said a word until entering the apartment building. She turned to him sighing, the stress of the previous weeks catching up with her, and got straight to the point:

"My grandfather contacted me today. He met me in a diner across from central park. He wants my BXJ shares- gave me 24 hours to make a decision. There was something off about him. He has no contact with me for over a decade and suddenly he wants something. It doesn't feel right."

Chase looks up rubbing his forehead, as if considering something. He noticed the camera in the corner of the lobby and grasped Kim's hand:

"We have to talk. Somewhere private." He led the way outside and began walking quickly in the direction they came. He abruptly stopped by a bench in the park. She followed his lead sitting down on it. It was Chase's turn to be blunt:

"Bill Buchanan has suspected for sometime something is wrong with your dad. His reactions at the debriefing didn't fit the normal parameters of a man that spent 18 months in a Chinese prison. He asked questions, and spoke with sources. China has had a mind-control program running for up to five years. They relax the patients through hypnosis and implants suggestions, and key phrases. If the patient resists they're given a light narcotic."

"How do we tell what those suggestions are?" Kim asked the logical question.

"That's the difficult part. Until your father actually does something, we won't know what they were. All we can do is wait it out." Chase answered. Kim stared off into the distance absorbing what she'd been told. It came down to the fact her dad- the most invincible man she knew was vulnerable, and all he can do is wait it out. Chase continued grasping her hand for emphasis:

"I'm just as frustrated as you are. But that's the hand we've been dealt. Technically your dad has done nothing illegal. We can't arrest him for not doing anything. We have to watch. We have to see where this goes. It's the only way to crack the plot."

Kim slowly nodded her acknowledgement: "are you…"

"Bill gave me leave to stay in New York for a while." Kim rose closing her eyes for a moment to regain her composure.

"What should I do about the shares?"

"Keep half, and the vote. There's something going on inside the company, and you should keep an eye on it." Kim nodded her agreement.

"He'd love to see you." Kim told him. Chase didn't see the harm- the more people near Jack that knew about what was happening the better. They walked back to Kim's apartment:

"Hello Dad, I'm home." Kim called out dropping her keys on the breakfast bar. She looked at the hand-written note:

5pm:

Out for a walk,

Be back later. Don't worry.

Love: Dad

Kim glanced up at the clock, and warily smiled at Chase. No need to worry, it was only 5:30.

* * *

Tony watched Jack from a distance, purposefully hiding himself amongst the crowds moving along the street. He knew if Jack suspected he was being followed he would shake off his tail, or find him out. Tony knew his best weapon was his secrecy; the fewer people knew that he was alive, the better. That's why he stayed in the shadows, quietly figuring out what was going on.

He quickly glanced at his watch which, read 5:35. Over a half hour tailing Jack Bauer undetected, that was unusual. They turned a corner, crowds thinned, and buildings grew more industrial in nature. They were heading towards the pier. He quickened his pace indicating either he realized he was being followed, or he was reaching his destination. Tony hung back long enough to watch Jack disappear into a building. He crossed the street dropping behind a dumpster to watch for his friend and think about what his next move should be.

* * *

That's all for this update. Hope you liked it.

-AB


	15. Rebirth: Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with 24.

Summary: See Chapter #1

Author's notes:

1. The majority of this story is written without knowing spoilers dealing with season #7

2. ""= Dialogue ''= thoughts

3. C.O.S: Change of Scenery

4.888888888888888: change of character

**5. Bold= flashback, **_italics= phone conversation_

6. Spoiler Alert: References to seasons #5, and 6

* * *

Rebirth: Chapter #15

"China has very long memories." The comment echoed in his head, a phrase that wouldn't leave him, just as the sinister voice that said it. He stood there in an unknown waiting room waiting for some unknown person to invite him into their office and give him his next instructions. He smiled to himself aware of how mysterious it sounded, knowing that usually he would be the one tailing the guy to a mysterious office, instead of inside it.

He felt compelled to be there. The phrase made him obey; he was powerless to do anything except what he was instructed to. And once he'd done that, he wouldn't remember. It was that lost time that left him confused when Leanne found him at BXJ and he'd finally snapped out of it. He didn't remember what happened at the meeting with the Chinese delegation- only that he had sat down across from Cheng and Cheng had said: "China has very long memories." He walked out, and the next thing he remembered he was holding some guy by the neck, beating him to a bloody pulp. He was fortunate Leanne stopped him.

He remembered Chloe, and Morris sharing their theory about mind control. He found himself agreeing with it. For most of his time in prison, he was kept in a fairly weak condition; his injuries not allowed time to heal. Mentally, he was tough enough to withstand torture without giving up secrets. But isolation took its toll. Yes, mind control was definitely plausible; the only thing that explained losing time, and beating up an innocent person. "China has very long memories," must be the turn-on phrase. What was the turn-off?

"Mr. Bauer, you may step into the office." The receptionist held the door open and beckoned him inside.

Tony sat on a bench in a bus shelter across the street watching the building. He'd tailed Jack a half hour without being noticed to a non-descript warehouse in one of the industrial areas. He still had no idea what was going on- there were no clues other than the working theory Audrey came up with about mind-control. But even if that was true, Tony knew they would have to wait until Jack actually did something; they couldn't arrest an innocent man even if he was a military-trained ex intelligence officer who may be part of a plot against the United States.

He realized too, that he was the perfect person to follow Jack. He thought like Jack did, and after years of working together they knew each other's moves. Plus the element of surprise didn't hurt; except for Audrey and Jack everyone he knew thought he was dead. A flicker of movement caught his eye, and he looked up in time to see two men get in a car, that exited a hidden side driveway. He caught a glimpse of a partial plate number, and recalling a phone booth a couple blocks back, walked in the direction he came.

He picked up the phone and dialed the cell-phone number:

"_Tony?" _Audrey asked to confirm his identity

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, I've been following Jack for the last half-hour. We ended up at a warehouse near the river. He came out with a second man and got in a car. They drove off, but I did get a partial plate and a physical description of the car. It's a silver Mercedes, 4-door with tinted windows. License Plate: 7-Gordon-Alpha."

"_Okay._ _I'll get Chloe to run it. Listen I think we're reaching the point where we need to take this operation legitimate and get official backing." _Tony was silent for a second, she continued:

"_If Jack is a threat, we're going to need help. I have a meeting with CTU New York tonight. _

"I understand. It's probably better if we take it legit- we'll need the manpower if the Chinese are involved."

I'll keep your name out of it for the element of surprise- you think like Jack, and if we're going to stop this, we need someone like that."

_"I'll find you if I discover anything else."_ Tony hung up the phone.

* * *

Erin Driscoll greeted her in the lobby of CTU New York: "Audrey Heller-Raines."

"Erin Driscoll." Audrey greeted the woman following her formality. Erin led the way to her office, and motioned Audrey to take the chair sitting in front of the desk. Audrey sat, holding her face expressionless, and waiting for Erin to make the first move.

Erin made small talk: "How's your father?"

"He's good." Audrey answered.

"How are you?"

"Better. I'm enjoying my job at the United Nations very much." Audrey sighed. She didn't like the woman very much, and could tell under the veneer of civility Erin felt the same way about her. There was a long pause, which, Erin broke:

"You need me to do you a favour." It came as a statement instead of a question.

"I have reason to suspect a threat to the United States. I need resources to confirm it, and being New York CTU you were the obvious choice." Audrey supplied.

"And your father couldn't have had people…" Erin began.

"My father is Vice President of the United States, it's likely best that he isn't involved with a theory. If it's false, it could cause a lot of trouble for him."

Erin eyed her suspiciously. Her explanation made sense. The problem was there'd been no unusual activity in the last while, other than Jack Bauer's remarkable reappearance.

"Does this have anything to do with Jack?" Erin asked.

"Jack…" Audrey tried acting clueless.

"Yeah Jack Bauer. We've had reports he'd been released from Chinese custody, and is living in New York. I knew the bastard wasn't dead." Erin replied. Audrey swallowed eager to have the meeting over:

"We think Jack may be the victim of a Chinese mind control program, and the Chinese have activated him. We can't arrest him, because we don't have any proof such a plot even exists."

"I think I see the problem. Now how can I help solve it?" Erin asked.

"I need people to help me track leads, and look into proving this program even exists. I know I need an iron-clad case if I am taking anything to the my father or the President." Audrey answered.

"24 hour surveillance?" Erin asked.

"No. Enough people surrounding him know what's going on. It's better if we kept this semi-official." Erin raised an eyebrow.

"Okay. I can spare 5 people, but you have to run it out of this office, is that a problem?" Erin challenged.

"No, provided they can run the operation unchallenged. I'll send someone over beginning tomorrow." Audrey answered with her own condition.

"Agreed. Will that be all?"

"Yes."

"Alright." Erin rose from behind her desk and led the way out to the lobby. Audrey left without ceremony. She counted it as a small victory she didn't have to give up Tony, and smiled to herself because she already knew whom she'd pick to head up the operation… Chloe.

* * *

C.O.S: Logan's Ranch

Charles Logan paced the length of the ranch's great room. He considered the actions he'd just set in motion with his interrogation at CTU. He'd just destroyed a 20-year friendship; the man had supported him in his presidential bid. He'd backed him on his plan to get oil, the sentox scheme, betraying him now felt disloyal. But the man had offered up his own son as a human weapon. It was his idea to approach the Chinese, his idea to supply them with the mind-control drug. After all the despicable things Charles Logan had done, he couldn't bring himself to help Phillip Bauer.

If anything he felt driven to stop him. With that in mind he picked up the phone, and dialed Christopher Henderson. He picked up on the second ring:

"_Yes?"_

"Christopher. I have another job for you."

"_What is it?"_

"I want you to kill Phillip Bauer." Silence reigned. Henderson considered his options. Phillip Bauer was a high-risk target, and he was had personal issues with the man. Henderson always made it a point to stay away from anything involving his own personal issues- when he had to kill someone he needed to remain aloof and be able to see it as a job. Besides, Logan was no longer in the position to protect him, so he'd be assuming all the risk. And he didn't know what he'd get in return.

"_I can't do it Charles. Almedia caught up with me in Toronto. _

"Almedia's alive?" Logan asked, surprise colouring his tone.

"_Yeah. He nearly killed me. I creatively persuaded him not to."_

All Logan could say was: "I see."

"_I have to go. I'll be in touch."_ Without waiting Henderson hung up. Logan resumed pacing, pondering the latest development.

A living Tony Almedia presented a new complication. Another person who knows what he did, another person with an axe to grind. A disillusioned ex government agent was a wild card at best, or a new enemy at worst.

Finally he slumped into his chair; he'd set events in motion. He would live with the consequences, and in the end be a better man- a redeemed man because of it. And she would see that, and maybe someday return to him.

* * *

C.O.S.: New York

Kim started when she heard the door open.

"Dad is that you?" She called. No response came, she moved out of her home office and into the main hallway, in time to see Jack move into the living room.

"Dad." She repeated the call, as he robotically sat on the couch. Kim moved to sit beside him. She noticed his glassy eyes and grasped his shoulder in an attempt to get him to look at her:

"Jack snap out of it." He didn't respond. She sat there holding his hand in silence waiting; figuring he just needed to know she was there.

"Kim?" Jack asked.

"Yeah daddy."

"How did I get here?" Jack replied.

"You walked in the door around 10 minutes ago. I called your name, but you never responded." Kim looked at him concerned.

Jack rubbed his hands over his face: "I must be losing more time."

* * *

And that's where this installment ends. Say did anyone see that season #7 finale? I loved it, and it gave me ideas for more fanfics.

Happy Reading!

-AB


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